The Dancer Prince
by NLKimbo
Summary: Set approximately 130 years after Deep Space Nine. The epic story of a young prince and his struggle to save the interstellar Monarchy he has been chosen to rule.
1. Prologue

_The Dancer Prince   
_Prologue  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf   
Additional Credits: Poem by Wilfred Owen ~"Dolce et Decorum Est"  
  
_

in memorium for soldiers both past, present, and future, who fight for the betterment of their nation, and give up their lives in the largest of tragedies, in the largest sacrifice of man that can ever occur.  
  


Private James Salbury watched as the transports flew around his own, they were evacuating, running as fast as they could from their former encampments. The engines of the battle-fatigued transports whined loudly as the vessels flew low, close to the pine trees they caused to sway. The private deposited his rifle to the ground, as he watched his platoon sitting down at various places on the transport, some were standing, others were leaning, and yet others were sitting. The soft smell of nicotine, and defrugalated smoke had spread throughout the transport, it smelled of marines. The Private sighed, they had been fighting a pretty fierce battle on the ground, and now they had been ordered to abandon the ridge. He could still remember the scent of ashes burning as pine trees exploaded around them. The hover tanks had carved some pretty deep holes on the side of the mountain, but they hadn't gotten through. The base had remained defiantly afoot, but now they had moved away and abandoned the ridge. At what cost? Fifty, sixty, seventy men, he sighed again and picked up his combat bag.   
  
Grenade launcher, several rounds of A-16 grenades, anti-tank mines, several rounds of F-19 ammunitation for his rifle, and a book. That was all, a nice, personal bag for Private James Salbury. He looked at his hands, they were shaking, and then some. He slowly reached into his bag and grabbed the book, pulling it out. He had taken the book from his high school library before graduating. Then, the draft came, his was amongst the first classes to be drafted to replace the army, he never had a chance to return the book. They had lost so many in the Styx War, and now there was another, just as bad. Perhaps his having lost the chance to return the book wasn't such a bad thing, he blew air onto the book, clearing the dust away and looked at the title again Selected War Poems From the United Federation of Planets, by one Professor David Vince, of the Segan University at Gerolden. James remembered hearing the news of the utter destruction of Gerolden, he still couldn't believe he existed in a time when the First Planet was gone. Now, they were all still at war, even if everyone else had returned to their own ways. _In order to save, one must destroy that which he is saving! _   
  
He began reading, and within his mouth came a poem, which he could identify oh so well. He sighed, thinking how true these words were for him and his fellow soldiers, and wished he had not the duty to repeat history.   


  


_"Bent double, like old beggards under sacks,   
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we curse through sludge,  
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs  
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.  
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots   
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;   
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots   
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.  
  
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling,   
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;   
But someone was still yelling out and stumbling,   
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime...  
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,   
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.   
  
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,   
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.   
  
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace   
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,   
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,   
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;   
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood   
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,   
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud  
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues -   
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest   
To children ardent for some desperate glory  
The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.  
  
It is sweet and meet (fitting) to die for one's country"   
  
_

The transport's loud engines began to quiet as the transports entered the massive shuttlebays of the battleship in space. As the transport pulled into its parking space 19, it was joined on either side by transports. The echoes of the pilots' instructions, and status reports was unheared by the dazed soldiers. As the transports doors opened, the first to go were the injured. Afflicted with various injuried, they were carried out of the transports by the combat medics, then placed on movable bio-beds to be taken to the battleship's sick bay. Following this action, two straight and fatigued lines of marines poured out of the transport, the private was amongst them. They joined the rest of their battallion, joining the rest of the marines which had been evacuated from the planet, and began walking out of the shuttle bay. From one of the view-ports above, the Captain of the battleship, and the General in charge of this operation watched. Another defeat, another bitter defeat for the Monarchy. _In order to save, one must destroy that which he is saving!   
  
_


	2. Chapter 1

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 1  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf   
  
_

  


A single flag amongst seven, the flag was one of the closest to the middle. In the artificial wind created for the flags, the flag swept triumphantly, swaying from side to side. Surrounding the flagpoles of all the flags was the emblem of the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers. The emblem was embroaded in golden latinum, surrounded by stones brought specifically for the tasks from Japan. It had taken the strength of the Federation to make sure it was stones from Japan that were placed around the emblem, and this had symbolic strength. The Federation was one of the charter members of the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers, it also was one of the tying bonds. For a long while, the other was also one which was represented by the flag that swayed from side to side. Yellows and blues seem to dance between one another, and the colors were perhaps only slight representatives of the Segan Monarchy. The blue stood for the royal family, and the yellow stood for the people. The Segan Monarchy was in trouble, but had one looked at the flag, one could'nt know. The flag swayed so well, and seemed so at home on the flagpoles of the members of the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers, it couldn't be known that flag seemed almost destined to burn in a massive hellish fire.   
  
The cape of one lone observer followed the movement of the flag, as it was easily carried by the small wind funnels created by the station's air conditioning. The black velvet cape couldn't be calmed as it followed the flag's movement almost like an unseen shadow. The lone observer watched the flag silently, meditating upon the flag and centering all the focus it had on the flag. The observer was no stranger to the flag, and indeed the station. As people past the observer some gave it a quick glance and moved on, others bowed to it, and yet others didn't even notice. There was little middle ground in the reactions of the people to the observer, the observer wasn't as controversial as some of its counterparts, but it had done its job over the year, and it doubted it would be called to do the job again. It had seen its counterpart get voted out of office, it knew it was soon its time. As it glanced past the flag for a moment, it noticed its assistant coming towards it at a quickened pace. _The news keeps getting worse and worse_, it sighed, dropping its meditation upon the flag as it stared at the incoming assistant.   
  
"Someone told me I would find you here, " Ambassador Andreus, the attache to the provincial government announced, "The government's just announced the military withdrawal from the Salavrus sector, some 20,000 marines were evacuated by 2 battleships, they say."   
  
"The Salavrus sector? That's getting to be pretty deep into Provincial government owned space," The observer glanced over, "There is more for you to be disturbing me from my meditation?"   
  
"Yes Ambassador," The Ambassador pulled out a padd from his tight uniform, staring at that file, "There is a priority message for you from Maitre Wolf, he says that's he's arrived at the Palace and thanks us for a job well done."   
  
"That's good," The Ambassador replied idly, she had little interest in the news, "It's a wonder how we got him past customs without a problem here, Starbase Tranquility's security has been very tight since the beginning."   
  
"Agreed Ambassador," Andreus placed the padd back into his uniform's pocket, looking at the Ambassador, "Do you think the Monarchy will be able to fight back the Segan Popular Union?"   
  
"The question is as good as any, Ambassador Andreus," The Ambassador stared back at the flag, observing its movement, which was everlasting, "Only time can answer that question for you."   
  
"And the Prince?" Andreus was young, and perhaps almost too pure for his own good. He worked in politics, foreign policy to be exact where lying and deceit was a daily part of his game, but he could lie none, and yet, he had risen to fill one of the most prestigious positions in the provincial government, even if it was crumbling.   
  
"He dances," She knew she wasn't joking about it either, the young,former darling of SPNN was known for his dancing abilities, and for his abilities to charm a crowd. She knew his being thrust into the role as the Dauphin crown prince wasn't good, it was an opening for ambitious people to take ambitious steps against the Crown. Loosing 15,000 ships didn't help any, and the Prince was no doubt unprepared for the position. She also knew, he didn't want it, "Maitre Wolf will assist him, now that he is there."   
  
"Aye," Ambassador Andreus now stared at the flag as well, there they stood together Ambassador Yrishna Wolf and Ambassador Andreus Pormalov, both wondering the future of their nation.   
  
Meanwhile, almost 150,000 light years away, past the end of the Milky Way Galaxy, through several transwarp rifts, through wormholes, through nebulas, events were developing at a brisk pace. On a green and blue planet, of oceans and green pastures, named Chinon stood the seat of the Segan Government. With the Segan Monarchy's flag hoisted at the top of the Chinon palace, it was clear this planet was still under Segan Monarchy control. The question in many a people's mind was for how long, in one of the manicured gardens of the palace, stood a young boy resting. On his lap sat the crown of the Dauphin, a crown of silver and diamonds which reflected off the Chinon star. He sighed, as his hair seemed to flow from his head, only an effect of the wind which blew back. He was a happy child, turned unhappy by confrontation, which he knew not how to diffuse. It was easier just being the heir to the throne, but now he had to assert whatever power he had, or face becoming the shame of a dinasty. That dinasty was a powerful one which had lasted millenium, upon millenium. Why did it have to turn problematic on the eve of his "supposed ascendance to the throne." As he continued to ponder the questions, the sound a unicorn trotting towards the Dauphin could be heard on the white stone paths. The Dauphin looked up, seeing the cape that dangled around the man, he knew who it was instantly. The Dauphin stared back at the blades of grass that were swept back and forth by the wind. The unicorn pushed the Dauphin to the ground under a hail of laughter, Maitre Wolf smiled as he got off the unicorn.   
  
"I am glad someone can find time for laughter," Maitre Wolf smiled, as he joined the Dauphin on the ground, "You seemed to be in pretty deep thought just a moment ago."   
  
"Hmmhmm," The Dauphin glanced over, "I was, I was wondering about the future of the Monarchy. You know, I've never thought about its future, Grandpa and Dad were always around to take care of those things."   
  
"I know," Maitre Wolf glanced, "But, you're here now. And you have all the inner-skills that your father, and your grandfather both had. You'll do fine, I'm certain of it."   
  
"You think so?" He stared at the trees, and spied the Segan flag seemingly hugging the flagpole, "I'm not so sure."   
  
"The Segan Monarchy as we know it as existed for 10 milliniums, "Maitre Wolf watched the Dauphin, "It wasn't all honky dorey the whole ten-thousand years, and you know that, your majesty."   
  
"Only was the Depression of 2360..." Youri was kidding himself, but he wanted to hear some uplifting words out of the old general.   
  
"I'm serious, your majesty," Maitre Wolf was serious, and would not budge a smile as he listed off the misfortunes of the Monarchy, "The assassination of your grandfather, the entire conquest of this universe weren't all good for the Monarchy. Not to mention that one time when the Carnians invaded us..."   
  
"I... I understand," Youri stood up, grabbing his crown, "What's been going on?"   
  
"Nothing so far, your majesty," Maitre Wolf, "The evacuation was succesful, with 200 casualties, however."   
  
"That's 200 too many, Maitre, " Youri sighed, "Maitre, we've got to turn this war around... and I don't know how to do that with the number of ships we have and the crews we have. They're all fresh out of the damn academy."   
  
"We'll figure out a way, "Maitre Wolf, "We've already got our allies searching for those ships... I'm certain they'll find them... We just have to hold it off long enough."   
  
"I had a question, that was on my mind, Maitre," Youri glanced over to Wolf, "Ever since the bonding didn't work with my father... He seemed distant... was he really, with that human?"   
  
"I think he was, "Maitre Wolf replied, "Whether he is now, isn't the question."   
  
"Hmmm... And how come you are here? I know my father wouldn't have--  
  
"He knew what was going to happen, I think, " Maitre Wolf interdicted, "That's all I know."   
  
"Then, I wonder if he knows the future of our Monarchy."   
  
"That, I think no one knows.... maybe you, for you are the Dauphin, the future of a Monarchy, the future of us."   
  
"We better get going," The Dauphin smiled, "Grandma will kill me if I don't get something to eat."   
  
"Right!" Maitre Wolf smiled, the Dauphin still danced, maybe there would be good out of this.   
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 2

_The Dancer Prince _  
_Chapter 2_  


  
_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf _  
  
  


The flag of the Segan Monarchy swayed from side to side, almost transparent as the star's light shone upon it. The flag was peaceful, standing atop a flagpole. The sounds of marching bands played around it, as it was soon to stand lone on a background of fireworks. The fireworks began shooting up into the sunlit sky, exploading into millions of bursting shells of varying colors, exploading in a magnificent firecracker sound. Nothing sounded like it, and nothing matched the light blue and yellow colors of the Segan Monarchy's flag. The flag was well prepared to be behind this background of fireworks as across from it the royal family appeared. Her Majesty Queen Rachel Rosbourg and His Majesty King Jean-Louis Rosbourg stepped into the court yard where the flag was centrally located. A walkway that led up to it was secured by the Royal Guard, who wore their best white and blue dress uniforms for the occasion. One by one, the Royal Family stepped into the court yeard. Mother and Father followed by their son the heir to the throne His Majesty King Charles Rosbourg, and his wife. Their 2 year old son was in tow for the occassion, filled with excitement at the occasion. Youri's first Royalty Day in the Monarchy. Once, every year, the Monarchy celebrated the joining of the Rosbourg, Denmont, and Defont families into one powerful dynasty that had kept the Segan Monarchy alive and well for 10,000 years.   
  
Explosions, massive dirt clods flew as the ground was hit by explosive shells. Jumping into these new craters, men from the 5th infantry jumped into them. One of them carrying a batterered flag of the Monarchy jumped just in time to miss another artillery shell. The entire line seemed to move cautiously but quickly as they entered the craters that had been created. It was dark, terribly dark, as the enraged explosions continued to thunder down. The armed men grabbed their guns, and prepared to fire a return volley. Suddenly, the hissing of powerful rocket launchers could be heard as the dark battlefield was lit by shock grenades. From the forests on the left flank appeared a new flag, the Segan Monarchy flag. More men had arrived. Behind the men came two fightercrafts who fired rockets from the side of their wings, the rockets hit the hillsides that the 5th infantry had been expected to climb. Massive explosions could be heard as the ground shook from the tremendous force of the artillery pieces exploading. They would be heard no more as the fighters flew past them. The Segan Popular Unionist troops fired anti-fightercraft rockets to no avail, the fighters were long gone, and they weren't expecting any air cover for the 5th infantry.   
  
The Segan flag collapsed, as the man gasped, his blue blood pouring out of the openings caused by the phaser wounds. He coughed blue blood out of his mouth, as the combat medic helplessly tried to figure out some medicine to help him out. There was nothing he could do, the flag carrier was dead. He looked around, hoping one of the infantry men would take the flag that led the assault. But he could find none that were brave enough to do this act. As some of the infantry gathered in a circle, in the middle of this hell hole they called a battlefield, the medic grabbed the tattered flag and moved out of the circle. He yelled an old Segan proverb as he charged towards the hill side, followed by hundreds of Segan marines and infantry. Behind them, more men from the 7th Marine division appeared from the forest, the reinforcement that had been promised for many months had finally arrived. The Segan Popular Union watched from the top of the base as he saw rows and rows of Segan royal troops approaching. He cursed and looked at the tactical maps, the actual strength of the Segan presence here was finally placed on the map and he could see he was seriously outflanked in two key areas vital to maintaining the outpost. He ordered artillery to be concentrated in those two regions, but he knew he would have a hell of a hard time maintaining position.   
  
At the bottom of the hillside, 2 old Segan hovertanks flew ahead of the 300-strong army. They fired two opening volleys at the outpost walls as the Segan army tried to build trenches to protect themselves. As they reached the limit of the outpost defense line, they could see the anti-personnel guns mounted on all sides of the well protected wall. It would be an interesting tactical siege, one which none of these outposts had been very well designed for. The troops themselves were not trained to handle this type of combat, they were just out of the Academies and Bootcamps, forced out in order to fill in the vacancies caused by the dissapearance of the Ghost Fleet. Some of the volleys from the outpost hit well past their maximum range, the stray shots hitting some of the Segan officers, sending blue blood spurting onto uniforms. The young officers ducked harder into the ground, the blood sending pure trauma into the hearts of the young men. A few more mines of wait and then the scream... "Charge!"   
  
Segan fightercrafts flew over the taken outpost, landing at the liberated strip of land that served as home to the 27th Segan Fightercraft division. Three hundred meters away from the landing strip, dead bodies of Segan both SPU and Royalist were being carried to a mass grave. There were just too many soldiers to cremate without creating toxic fume, and too many to bury in one grave. In any case, many were unrecognizable. In orbit of this loomy planet sat the S.W.S Yolanda and S.W.S Arrytrea, both battleships were fair veterans of war and their crews had seen action in the Styx War. Retired fairly quickly to get repairs, they had just recieved a fresh crew, and fresh orders, save the Monarchy. Alongside both ships flew squadrons of fighters, as shuttle after shuttle dropped onto the planet. In the cities of this planet, Segan citizens cheered as they saw their government finally in action. Something had been done, the young King's troops had just brought his first victory.   
  
The birds chirped past the closed windows of the Palais de Chinon. The entire palace gardens were bristling with the life of morning, butterflies flocked, birds ate, and insects roamed this vast territory of land. Even the flowers celebrated with their most dazzling of colors, blues and reds clashed brilliantly with green. At the palace gates too there was life, people approached the gates cautiously, as on both sides of the gate stood two Royal guardsmen, perfectly still and watching the crowd build up. Inside the palace, at the gates were four more Royal guardsmen stationed there to make sure none would go past the gate. Inside the Palace, the doors that led to the Dauphin Crown Prince's quarters were opened quietly, as the Reverend Queen entered. She was donning her royal garments, her white crown shining brilliantly against whatever sun light would sneak in through the closed shudders. The Queen, wearied by age, opened the shudders herself, brushing away her entourage's help. She then turned, looking at one of the youngest members of the family, walking to him. A lean and a kiss later, the Dauphin Crown Prince was yawning and waking, hardly a morning person, he hadn't heard the news which the crowd was gathering for.   
  
"Grandma.... what's going on?" Youri asked, as he was hustled out of his bed, "Is something the matter?"   
  
"Nothing's the matter, honey," The Reverend Queen replied, smiling to him, "There are some people who want to congratulate you."   
  
"Congratulate me? Congratulate me on what?" Youri looked confused as Maitre Wolf entered with his entourage.   
  
"Tell him the news, Maitre Wolf," The Reverend Queen glanced to Youri, "He just got back from the Fleure Republic."   
  
"Yes, your Majesty," Maitre Wolf bowed in front of Youri, "They have agreed to dispatch aid to us, it should assist in relieving our front near the Fleures... and we also recieved word today that we just won our first victory."   
  
"I...I....I see," Youri offered a smile to the group assembled, "Who wants to see me?"   
  
"Your people," The Reverend Queen motioned her head to the massive glass windows that beamed sunlight into the Dauphin's quarters.   
  
"Oh ****, Grandma, I'm not ready!!" Youri nodded to his own entourage to start getting him ready, as he recieved a prompt scolding from the Reverend Queen.   
  


- - - - - - - - -   
  


The crowd which had gathered in front of the palace gates was growing larger and more expectant. They wanted to hear from the Dauphin Crown Prince himself that they had gotten themselves a victory. They were eager to get their raise of morale from the Prince. After what seemed like an hour, a fanfare of horns played the tune of the Segan anthem as the Prince stepped out onto the massive deck. He waved to the crowds as they cheered his arrival. He donned the most beautiful of his royal garments, trying to look as manly as possible. Here he was, just 17 trying to look as if he had ruled this nation for over centuries. Maitre Wolf had arranged a ceremony in occassion of the victory, he would have to go soon again to gather more allies to fight the Segan Popular Union. His next destination would be a dangerous one, taking him towards the United Federation of Planets. The transgalactic conduit that led to the U.F.P. had fallen into S.P.U. hands, it would be a difficult mission. Right now, however, this was not on anyone's mind.   
  
Youri delivered a fine speech that evening sending the crowds into loud cheers that carried over into small celebrations in Chinon's capital. The celebrations lasted into the wee hours of morning. Inside the palace, the celebrations had ended much earlier. The peaceful palace was disturbed by the sounds of careful footsteps. The marble sounded after each one as the shadowy figure headed towards Maitre Wolf's quarters in the palace. As he arrived, the figure knocked on Maitre Wolf's door, and he could hear the pleasant sound of Maitre Wolf's voice ordering the person to "enter." The figure walked into the Quarters, and Maitre Wolf glanced up, seeing the now ever so familiar face of Charles' son appear. This was unlike Youri to be walking around the palace at night, he thought as he began to move from his bed. Youri raised a hand, as if to say he did not wish him to trouble himself by moving. Youri sat at the foot of Wolf's bed, looking at him for a moment before speaking.   
  
"Where will you head of to next, Maitre Wolf?" Youri asked, seeing some stellar cartography padds on one of the small bookcases.   
  
"The Federation, Youri," Maitre Wolf glanced over and handed him a padd, "Intelligence reports before the Styx War suggested they'd come out of the war in a good position."   
  
"That's a dangerous route," Youri watched Maitre Wolf out of concern of loosing his only able friend, "Are you sure you'll make it?"   
  
"We need the help, Your Majesty," Maitre Wolf sighed, "The Fleures sent us what they could give.. But if we want to turn the tide of this war, we will need the Federation's help, or the Ghost Fleet."   
  
"You think they're out there?" Youri turned his head, watching the painting of one what was probably his great great great grandfather, "Do you think we'll find them?"   
  
"I don't know...," Maitre Wolf watched Youri, "I honestly don't know."   
  
"Just promise me you'll be okay, that you'll come back to me and my family," Youri's head turned again pleadingly.   
  
"I promise," Maitre Wolf answered, very serious of his promise, "Now go to bed, we don't want our future King to have bloodshot eyes!"   
  
"Aye, sir," Youri smiled as he walked to the turn, "Goodnight, Maitre Wolf."   
  
"Good night your Majesty," Maitre Wolf returned to looking at his stellar cartography charts as the door shut closed.   



	4. Chapter 3

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 3  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.   
Additional Writing Credits to Chante De Zire   
  
_

  


The Dauphin Crown Prince woke up early the next morning, as he grabbed whatever could find from his closet. It was 4:30 in the morning, but he knew he had to be ready in time to say goodbye to his closest confidant. Youri walked towards the shudders, and peeled them apart, it was still dark. Youri smiled, he would be so happy to say goodbye to Timothy this time around. Youri walked back and grabbed a pair of jeans, and a bright royal blue t-shirt. He didn't care that he hadn't gotten a shower or anything, he just wanted to see Tim. After grabbing whatever he could to make himself presentable, he walked towards the door and opened it partially. If his mother or grand-mother knew what was going on, they would be ready to kill him. No need for that Vladimir Rosbourg fella taking care of it. Youri walked back to the shudders again, looking over the court-yard. The police motorcade was already ready to take Maitre Wolf to the shuttleport. He saw the shuttles' lights turned off, and in the limosine in the middle of motorcade. There wasn't much time, he grabbed his patron's saint's chain and walked out of his quarters, nodding to the Royal Guardsmen standing guard.   
  
Maitre Wolf hummed to himself as he stepped out of the sonic shower, he grabbed his most "conservative" clothing as he picked out clothing which were more suited to the Federation. He added a full scale three-piece suit to his bag as he covered two side-arms with it. No sense in getting yourself killed by not being attentive, he thought, as he grabbed his bags. He looked around and walked to the window, staring at the shudders. Six police shuttles, and a limosine, he shook his head, Youri had certainly overdone himself. Maitre Wolf smiled, the Segan Monarchy was blessed with a very generous King, generous than either his father or grandfather. Maitre Wolf gave a smirk as he let the shudders hide the darkness away. He glanced over at the watch, 4:33. Time to head out, he thought, as he turned the lights off to his quarters and opened the door. He wasn't expecting anyone to be there, and he'd make the exit fairly quick. Of course, police sirens wailing through the down of Chinon's capital would catch attention, but at least the Royal Family would be safe to enjoy whatever sleep they needed. The entire Family was in trouble, and was worried of the future, understandibly. The Fleure's alliance package wasn't going to aid much, except in delaying the inevitable.  
  
The sounds of two seperate footsteps echoed through the marble floors of the Chinon Palace. In the quarters reserved for the V.I.P, Maitre Wolf fit at home, having permanent quarters there. This was a luxury even the Court of the Dauphin didn't have. Maitre Wolf sighed, accepting the report from one of the Admirals who had woken up to give it to him. The latest intelligence and diplomatic files from the United Federation of Planets. Arrivals fresh from Ambassadors Yrishna Wolf and Hector Andreus respectfully assigned to the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers and the United Federation of Planets. He glanced over, the reports were the thickest he'd seen in days. Someone *was* doing work in this nation, he thought as he saluted the Admiral and dismissed him. Maitre Wolf continued on his way, walking down the flight of stairs that would lead to the main hall. As he glanced down, he could see the shadow of something moving that wasn't a Royal Guardsman at attention. Wolf walked down the steps, as the shadow cleared to reveal Youri Rosbourg, in very... innapropriate clothing he thought. The other footstep had been echoing from the other side of the palace, being an unexpected walker by the people in charge of protecting him, he arrived in time. Youri smiled, as he turned around to give a small, very royal nod to Maitre Wolf. Wolf smirked again, all right, maybe he wasn't completely daft.   
  
"What are you doing up?!" Maitre Wolf whispered, "Your mother would kill me if she knew you were up!"   
  
"I'm the heir to the throne," Youri smiled, "And I'd go into a deep deep depression if you didn't survive."   
  
"Very cute, but still," Maitre Wolf walked towards the main doors, "Doesn't explain why you're up."   
  
"I wanted to say goodbye," Youri looked at Wolf, "And I wanted to give you a present.. something I want you to have."  
  
"You know I don't need anything, "Maitre Wolf smiled, as the guardsmen opened the doors to reveal a dark and soggy landscape.   
  
"I want you to have it," Youri extanded his hand offering a chain of his patron saint, "Come home safe."   
  
"Where's home, your Majesty?" Maitre Wolf looked over the chain, placing it around his neck.   
  
"With me," Youri grinned his infamous boyish grin.   
  
"I'll be home soon, your Majesty, "Maitre Wolf looked over at the police motorcade, "I gotta go."   
  
"I know, be safe," Youri smiled and kissed Wolf on the cheek, they exchanged a friendly hug and as Youri walked back inside, his clothes a bit wet from the rain that had just begun to pour, "Bye."   
  
"I'll be back soon, I promise you," Maitre Wolf entered the limosine, as the police motorcade rode out the court yard. The moment they were on the street, about a mile away, their sirens began wailing.  
  
"Goodbye," Youri stated again as the motorcade dissapeared.   
  
He continued waving several minutes after the motorcade had dissappeared. He would miss Timothy very much as the palace walls again felt lonely. Youri stepped inside, and the doors closed with a lound clang as the Royal guardsmen resumed their "at attention pose." From one of the windows in the VIP Quarters, the Prime Minister watched to be sure the motorcade was completely gone. He turned around and opened a secured communications link, it was scrambled and then transferred between two points before it would reach its destination, for now he would just wait. For the communication link to be made fully secure, it would take a few minutes. On the other side of the palace, looking onto the courtyard mystically, hiding behind the shudders, the Reverend Queen watched the scene which had unfolded. She mumbled a small prayer for the safety of Maitre Wolf and then another for her grandson, she had already lost a son, she didn't want to loose a grandson as well. She allowed for the shudders to hide the scenery as her hand moved back to be clasped. Thunders, large thunders sounded as the dark sky was lighted by flashes of light, the ground rumbled lightly. It would be a very rainy week, Youri thought as he entered his quarters again. He fell into his bed with a loud thump, and then a giggle. By then, the Prime Minister's commlink had been established, and he was soon facing His Majesty Prince Vladimir Rosbourg.  
  
"Is the line secured, your Majesty?" Prime Minister Defont asked, looking over his files.   
  
"It is now," Prince Vladimir glanced over, "I hope you have something of interest to me."   
  
"Maitre Wolf's left again, "Prime Minister Defont looked over, "He's heading towards the Federation, to ask for aid."   
  
"Oh is he now?" Prince Vladimir let out a hearty laugh, "This is better than I expected, the Pacifica-C blocks my attack on a battleship, and now we've got Maitre Wolf asking for more damned Starfleet involvement."   
  
"Aye, your Majesty, he left about 15 minutes ago," The Prime Minister replied, "I'm certain he'll be going through the rift.   
  
"Well, we'll let him go through, nothing breaks a person more than exile," Prince Vladimir's face smirked, "This is good... We may just be able to finish this war before we kill anymore people."   
  
"Your Majesty?" The Prime Minister watched Vladimir, "If he gets the message through---."  
  
"He wont," Vladimir interjected, "We'll be at Chinon faster than Starfleet, I'm gathering the entire fleet, we're coming to liberate you, Prime Minister Defont."   
  
"Understood, but I don't have all the access codes to all the shields, your Majesty," Defont looked at Vladimir, hoping it wouldn't be a problem.   
  
"2000 ships against one planet? Somehow, I think we'll win. Expect us there within 72 hours, Rosbourg out."   
  
Prime Minister Defont watched as the Segan emblem shined through his computer. He stared at the scenery outside, it was 5:00 AM, and it was very dark. The rain which clanked at the window seemed incessant and very power, the thunder which sent pulses into the ground caused it to rumble. He sighed, it would soon be over he thought. The Segan defensive lines were spread thin, and there were only a few ships defending any single point of entry into the Chinon star system. He knew that, and had relayed that information to Vladimir. Now, the 2000 starship flotilla that Vladimir had mysteriously managed to keep hidden appeared to be ready to launch a massive assault on Chinon. Defont looked out, the other side of the palace to the Dauphin Crown Prince's quarters' windows. There would be no more nonsense from the teenager, he was a weak leader and had always been a pain in his neck. He smiled to himself, in 72 hours all that would be no more his problem. Prime Minister Defont walked out of his quarters, and headed towards his office, he had "work" to do.   
  


* * * * * * * *   


Starbase Tranquility was for once following its namesake, everything was tranquil as 22:30 hours hit its dot. Near the Promenade, Starbase Tranquility's newest Captain on the block enjoyed a conversation with Chante De Zire. Captain Jean-Marie Daniels was the now retired Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Carpathia. He was a Doctor, with a strong background in combat medicine, he had seen what phaser burns set on kill could do. He had seen trauma, he had seen men trully scared, and he had known that fear himself. These memories continually haunted him and had a nasty habit of turning up at the wrong moments. For now, however, he was a little bit drunk, having taken several strong tequilas. He had been conversing for a while with Chante, and as she turned the corner, laughing and preparing to leave, Jean-Marie took his chances.   
  
"Where are you going?"   
  
Chante stopped, "Me? Oh just," she shook her head, and pointed, "Over there."   
  
"I see," he grinned, "I see."   
  
"What do you see?" Chante was now puzzled.   
  
"You," It was brief, to the point as well.   
  
"Is something wrong with what you see," She looked down.   
  
"Not at the current moment," He didn't change his face from its serious look.   
  
Chante began messing with her dress, "Oh," she nodded, "Okay, I thought for a second there," she looked up, eyeing him, "You look different."  
  
Jean-Marie extanded a hand, hoping to get a handshake, "Capitaine Jean-Marie Daniels, Medical Doctor," he stated in a faint French accent.   
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else," Chante extanded her hand, "My name is Chante."   
  
"Chante, "Jean-Marie smiled, "A pretty name."   
  
"Thank you," She returned his smile with an equal one of her own,"You're a Doctor?"   
  
"A Combat Medic, turned Starship Captain, turned Retired," He continued to smile.   
  
"Retired?" She chuckled, "recently?"  
  
"Very," Jean-Marie answered, "I've been asked to run the family business."   
  
"Oh..." She paused, "Is everything okay with your family?" She stared into his eyes.   
  
Jean-Marie didn't waiver from his smile, " I think they just miss me."   
  
She nodded, "Good to be close to your family," her nod turned into a smile.   
  
"Very much so...," He continued quickly, "And Starfleet's had enough of a bite on my life."  
  
"What is that?" She glanced over a nearby chair.   
  
"I've been a Combat Medic since I was a late teenager, up till I became a Captain... I was in command of a great medical ship."   
  
After glancing at the chair, she turned back to face Jean-Marie,"You sould like you have such an interesting life."   
  
"Not as interesting as you'd think... mostly bloody," He allowed to sentence to die off softly.   
  
Chante was shocked, "Bloody...you'd be surprised what I find interesting," the sentence was a decoy, an attempt at figuring out a complex war veteran.   
  
"Bloody's not interesting, it's sad... very sad," His face remained expressionless.   
  
"Yes, I know, it's very nasty," she grimaced, watching as Jean-Marie prepared to speak again.   
  
"And sad, specially when they're the young ones."   
  
"Babies?" She shook her head, her shock more accentuated, "Too much pain to deal with," She glanced to his face.   
  
He quickly shot a look at Chante, "Luckily, I don't get assigned those, I meant the young ones... 18...19 at most."   
  
"But they are still someone's baby," Chante rationalized.   
  
"That I understand."   
  
"So," Chante glanced around, "What brings you out tonight?"   
  
Jean-Marie looked around and pointed at the moon that Tranquility's planet held in orbit," A beautiful moon," he smiled, "A beautiful moon indeed."  
  
Chante smiled and nodded, "Yes, it is," She glanced at the moon examining it further.   
  
"I remember a moon like that...My medic team's shuttle had been shot down, we got pinned, ad the only thing that kept us company was that moon," He could see the explosions in his mind.   
  
A soft look took over Chante's face, "All the more reason to enjoy it."   
  
Jean-Marie just kept smiling, Chante watched the people who passed them, "I think I should be going."   
  
"Peace from a veteran to you," Jean-Marie stared blankly, not watching Chante, and then muttering to himself, "That was the past, don't fall in it!"   
  
She tilted her head, watching Jean, "I'm sorry, what?" She leaned in closer.   
  
"Advising myself not to remember the past."  
  
"But sometimes it is good to remember so you won't make the same mistake again or if a happy thought then it's good to remember," She paused briefly searching for words which made better sense.  
  
"I didn't make the mistake, just cleaned it," he stated it somewhat bitterly.   
  
"Then it's good," She looked puzzled, "I think."   
  
"Field Medic," He looked at Chante," I heal the guys who get hurt."  
  
"Then it is a good thing to do, right?" Her eyebrows raised slightly.  
  
"Hmmmmhmm," He nodded, "I guess."  
  
She chuckled again, " Okay, well you deserve a nice, long relaxing," she began to drift, no doubt thinking of some paradise she had seen,"Well, however you choose to relax."   
  
She turned slightly towards the window again, as Jean-Marie became more interested in her," And you, are you a civilian?"   
  
"Me? I'm sort of on vacation from Starfleet," For once, eye contact was lost.   
  
"Gotcha."   
  
She laughed slightly in response, "Yeah, a vacation."   
  
"Extanded? Very Extanded?" He began to suspect he was talking to an AWOL case.   
  
She looked over him," Yeah, very extanded one... very," Her face now turned mischievous at the thought.   
  
"I won't inquire for fear of Intelligence being ivolved in there somewhere," He grinned an honest, unbroken grin.   
  
Chante laughed, "Oh, I don't think Interlligence is anywhere around here," she paused, "At least from Starfleet... Let's just say I have a mission to do but can't because the person I need to find is nowhere to be found."   
  
"Well, if you need my place to coordinate this search and rescue," Daniels smiled, "Feel free."   
  
"Yeah, that can come in handy," She nodded," Thank you, you never know when you might get a knock on your door from me."   
  
"I'll keep watch then," Daniels leaned closer and whisper, "Whose it you looking for?"   
  
"Oh hmm ... a Lieutenant, she was seen a few months back," Chante whisperd back.   
  
"A name perhaps?"   
  
"Hmmm," She glanced down to her hand, "Dncer, I think is her last name. Last thing I was told she was seen entering a shuttle and that was it"   
  
"Dncer," The name was familiar as she looked at Chante," I thought she was assigned to the Monarchy... I read a report on that."   
  
Chante nodded, "Yes she is.. well was. But that was several months ago, she hasn't contacted anyone."   
  
"Do you know if she was with anyone?" Daniels tried to connect the dots, trying to draw a conclusion.   
  
"No one knows if she was with anyone but she dissapeared the same time his Royal Highness did."   
  
"There was talk the former Fleet Captain had taken some humans with him on the Ghost Fleet.... Maybe she was with them?" He inquired, shooting somewhat in the dark.   
  
Her eyes lit up, she hadn't considered this, "Maybe, but why would she go?"   
  
"I don't know her, can't answer that."   
  
"I wish I knew so they could get off my tail," She mumbled the last part as she further considered the theory."  
  
Jean-Marie looked at Chante, seeing an opportunity to visit something new, "You know, your investigation may take you to the Segan Monarchy... Take me with you?" He stated it bluntly, perhaps a little too bluntly.   
  
Chante, however, smiled, having thought the same," Thought you'd never ask."  
  
"Better than running a family business," Jean grinned sheeplishly.   
  
Chante laughed, "Oh, I hope so, I could enjoy some company."   
  
"Well then, my bags will be taken out of the Carpathia at our next stop."  
  
Chante continued laughing at the sound of bags, " I don't have much, but one bag with essentials to me," She looked down again, "But I think I should change out of this dress, doesn't seem appropriate for this trip."  
  
"The Monarchy's at war, may want to grab a gun. And rmember, the Monarchy prosecutes foreigners with a whole new set of rules," He commented.   
  
"Oh really? Haven't been able to update anything lately," she answered.   
  
Jean-Marie nodded, "The police act as police officers, jury and judge when it comes to foreigners. No more trials or due process."   
  
"Oh my that sn't good at all," She mumbled.   
  
"Nope," Jean-Marie shook his head.   
  
She shook her head as well,"So how would we get there to find out?"   
  
"Hopefully being Starfleet still means something."   
  
Chante nodded, "I hope so too," She let out a laugh, she looked around,"You there?"   
  
Jean-Marie had already moved to a LCARS access looking at the maps of Segan Sovereign Space, "Right here... Chinon's where the government is."   
  
"How's the government holding up?"   
  
"Hmm," he pointed a various places on the map," Flanked here and here, with a little relief here and there, and a massive flanking point here... Not good."   
  
"So what's the best place for point of entry?" She asked, shaking her head as she pictured all the places he had pointed to.   
  
"Well, the galactic transwarp conduit is here," He pointed at the first planet, "The question is can we get through the SPU defenses. They've put a lot of 'em up."   
  
"In a shuttle?" She leaned down near the map," Could move it through somehow."   
  
"We need something faster... stronger."   
  
"Hmmm, well what if we reinforce a shuttle sort to speak," She eyed him, thinking the strategy out.   
  
The Pattons came into his mind, they were the best of the support crafts the Carpathia had, " Maybe one of the Carpathian shuttles."   
  
"Strong enough?"   
  
"They've been prepared and designed for extraction on hot planets," He thought how well they had done during the Styx War.   
  
She smiled, "How can we get to one?"   
  
"We hmm.... borrow it," Jean-Marie looked at Chante to see her reaction.   
  
Her eyes widened noticeably, "Steal it?"   
  
"Yes, The Carpathia doesn't have a huge security staff, and the Marines are being rotated at our next stop, we could do it."   
  
She nodded, "If you say so, then we can.... Might need a few weapons."   
  
"The shuttles have 'em."   
  
She nodded again, "Good, a few adjustments here and there and we are set," She stoop up straight, looking directly at him, "Are you sure you want to do this?"   
  
"I'm retired," He smiled.   


  


She smiled as well, touching his shoulder with a firm hand, "Then we could make a good team."   
  
"Let it be done."   
  
She chuckled, "So when's the best time to do this?"   
  
"13:00 hours, after Lunch break," He replied in a matter-of-factly.   
  
Chante nodded, "Good, gives me time to rest."   
  
Jean-Marie smiled, "We shall meet again."  
  
"I will meet at your place until then?"   
  
Jean-Marie extanded his hand to finish the deal, "Deal."   
  
She extanded hers and shook firmly, "Deal," a customary grin appeared on her face.   
  
  


  
  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 4

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 4  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
Additional Writing Credits: Loutlei Beloekai (Ambassador Octor Aredys)  
  
_

  


Purples, blacks, and whites, those were the colors that made up the Chinon Epsilon nebula. Considered a class V nebula, the nebula stretched over a territory of hundreds of square kilometers. The nebula was made up of gases, and other particles which had combined to make the nebula so impressive, and so beautiful. According to the scientists which continually observed the nebula before the Styx War, the nebula was growing at a rate of 1 square kilometer per solar year. It was an impressive nebula indeed, but while the scientists toiled with it, military experts also were keen on taking a look at the nebula. The class V nebula allowed for sensors to not penetrate within, yet the nebula wasn't dense enough to cause difficulties for power sources and hulls. What this meant was that within the nebula could potentially be placed a massive military emplacement. The Chinon Epsilon nebula had been considered for several high-profile military projects all of which had fallen apart for one reason or another. The last of the Chinon Epsilon starship yard plans collapsed due to the Styx War. An interesting history for this nebula indeed, as now, it was a highly strategic chokepoint that led straight to the Chinon star system.   
  
Many many many kilometers away, Maitre Wolf's battleship dodged phaser fire from three Segan Popular Unionist destroyers. Smoke filled the bridge as the ship entered the transgalactic rift, on a heading for the United Federation of Planets. The battleship's shields were at 75% and they were still several light years away from the nearest friendly outpost. The United Federation of Planets' territory would be the first to produce any starbase, and the moment the battleship came out of the rift, it headed at its best speeds towards Deep Space Delta Three. The bridge shook as the SPU's destroyers hit the ship again and again. Aft shields wouldn't be able to hold out much longer, even as a fresh volley of tri-quantum torpedoes were fired from the battleship. At Deep Space Delta Three, the strategic operations officer and the tactical operations officer conferred at wat they were seeing deep in long range sensors. Four ships had suddenly appeared and were heading straight for Deep Space Delta Three. The ships were quickly identified to be Segan, but it was uncertain if this was another combat. Then, a hail came through. Admiral Loutlei Beloekai, who had been watching the situation from his office stepped out, ordering the message on speakers.   
  
"(static)This is.... Alicia....Under... (static)... Need Assistance," Maitre Wolf's voice sounded, as the Tactical Officer attempted to stabilize the communication.   
  
Loutlei tapped his console, "Repeat? What is your location? Respond!"   
  
"Bearing 224...mark...3 SPU destroyers on our tail... Send assistant! Repeat send assistance!" Maitre Wolf wasn't worrid about the details, he just wanted the point out.   
  
Loutlei tapped his console once, looking over the strategic operation's officer's, "Two heavy cruisers indbout, ETA 7 minutes, 3 more, ETA 12 minutes, can you last that?"   
  
"(static) We'll see what we can do!" Maitre Wolf shouted as an explosion shook through the bridge.   
  
Loutlei searched the Starfleet logs, attempting to find more information, "There is a Defiant class battleship 2 minutes away, but they are not responding, we'll transfer your message!"   
  
"Affirmative, (static) we'll do what we can do out..." Maitre Wolf glanced over his tactical Officer... the transmission had been cut.   
  
Loutlei's work wasn't completed as he attempted to contact the USS LaForge, "U.S.S. LaForge, Respond!"   
  
"U.S.S LaForge, Captain T'Savak here. What can we do for you, Deep Space Delta Three?" The Vulcan's voice sounded through the intercom.   
  
"This is Deep Space Delta Three calling Defiant-class battleship U.S.S. LaForge, respond! There is a ship in your region in distress, please respond, have you gotten their distress signal?"   
  
"Negative, we haven't been monitoring Segan channels, we do detect 3 vessels, 3 destroyers, one battleship, orders Deep Space Delta Three?" Captain T'Savak's voice sounded.   
  
"What are the registries of the three destroyers?" The Admiral asked, wondering who the attackers were.   
  
"They're supporting Segan Popular Union flags, Admiral," T'Savak glanced over to his Tactical Officer, "Reading the battleship in distress, affirmative Admiral, we're on our way to intercept. ETA 1 minutes and 30 seconds at high warp."   
  
"Good, Deep Space Delta Three Out," Loutlei turned to his Communications Officer, "Communications, send message to the ship in distress that help is on the way. Yellow Alert"   
  
The Defiant Class battleship U.S.S LaForge cloaked as it engaged high warp towards Maitre Wolf's battleship. The battleship's last support fighter exploaded in a fireball as the battleship took a hard evasive, dodging a phaser blast. The battleship returned fire, firing its forward larisa guns, puncturing the shields of one the destroyers. Her two sisters doubled back, firing at the aft shields of the ship. An explosion shook the battleship, as meters away the Federation arrived. The Defiant class battleship decloaked and fired triquantum torpedoes at the first destroyer, causing it to expload. The Segan Popular Union, seeing additional ships on the way decided it was time to double back. With a quick about face they engaged warp heading back towards their home. With 5 minutes, the brilliant and large Federation starships pulled alongside Maitre Wolf's battleship, sending through transporters medical and engineering aid. The ship took its time to lick its wounds as Deep Space Delta Three was informed of the very important passenger aboard the battleship. Loutlei Beloekai looked forward to meeting Maitre Wolf again, who was on his way to see Ambassador Sideki assigned to the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers.   
  


* * * * * * * *   
  


"The Federation is meddling in the internal affairs of our nation again," Vladimir Rosbourg muttered as he walked down the marbles of his palace.   
  
"Yes, sir... The U.S.S. Pacifica-C, one of their flagships is operating in Segan Sovereign Space," Vladimir's military advisor announced, "And they intercepted us before we could destroy Maitre's Wolf's battleship."   
  
"I don't want any Federation blood on my mind," Vladimir sighed, looking over, "Perhaps we should deliver a stern 'keep out' message to the Federation, and make that message visual."   
  
"What did you have in mind, your majesty?" The military advisor's head turned, taking out a padd to take the notes.   
  
"Let's have the USS Pacifica-C take a look at our entire fleet.... Have the entire fleet rally in front of the Pacifica-C, and then have them move to their next destination point. Chinon Epsilon nebula," Vladimir looked at his advisor who nodded and smiled.   
  
"I have no further advise, that's an excellent idea. It should deliver a strong message," The Advisor smiled, "And no blood spilled either."   
  
"Agreed," Vladimir stopped in front of the doors which would lead to his private quarters, he looked out, seeing the red planet's landscape, "I'll be happy to see green again. Get all the Fleet commanders informed of this new plan, and execute it by tommorow."   
  
"Aye, your majesty."   
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 5

The Dancer Prince   
Chapter 5  
  
Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
Additional Writing Credits: Space Marshal Nelson   
  
The two, Prince Vladimir Rosbourg and his military advisor, exchanged a handshake as the advisor turned around and walked the same marble steps away. The red sun shone brightly, as the windows permitted a red hue to shine upon the palace. Vladimir sighed, being weary of the civil war, which he felt he had had to undertake. The doors to Vladimir's quarters opened as he entered his quarters. Vladimir could see in the shadows of his quarters that He was here again. Vladimir walked to his bed and sat down, reviewing the deployment reports. 2000 starships were on their way to Chinon and would be there within 72 hours. After he recieved the final reports from the Fleet, he would soon join it at Chinon. But the shadow being here right now was certainly not part of his plan. He awaited for the shadow to build up to its full stature as he glanced over the windows again. The planet was certainly a red planet, a planet of anger and spite. The Segan Popular Union had been forced out of the Monarchy and into some of the worst real-estate of this galaxy, he wanted to make them pay, but not as much as the shadow did. With a sort of half scream, the shadow appeared in its natural form, the Styx Arch-Achroid.   
  
"This civil war has gone long enough, Vladimir!" The Styx Arch-Achroid spoke, "I want the Monarchy out of the way for our new invasion."   
  
"Your eminence," Vladimir Rosbourg was mentally controlled, forced to bow in front of the Arch-Achroid, "It will be done, we need another week, however."   
  
"You better succeed in this mission, Vladimir," The Arch-Achroid glared, "Or we, the Styx Syndicate will have to combine with the Consortium to kill you and your peoples.   
  
"I... I assure you that will not be necessary, your Eminence," Vladimir looked at the Arch-Achroid with fear, but resilience, "We will accomplish the task at hand."   
  
"We shall meet again on Chinon then," The Arch-Achroid disappeared in a powerful wind that swept Vladimir's quarters.   
  
"Great," Vladimir muttered, tapping his console, "We're going to have to increase the speed of this mission, John, have the fleet intercept the Pacifica-C in 48 hours, and have them ready to invade Chinon in 56!"   
  
"Affirmative, your Majesty," The Military Advisor's voice replied, "Anything else?"   
  
"Nothing for now," Vladimir looked at the pictures in his room, "Is my son all right?"   
  
"Yes, your majesty," The Military Advisor glanced over to his assistant, "He is sleeping at the current moment."   
  
"Good... Good," Vladimir smiled, continuing his business preparing to move to Chinon.   
  
* * * * * * * *  
Youri paused on the massive dancing hall as he grabbed a towel and drank some needed water. He wasn't getting the dance routine right and he wanted to make sure he would. After pausing for a moment, he walked back onto the dance floor. Ordering the computer to resume the music, He began with a small hand movement that made a semi circle in front of his face. He made two steps forward and to the side, which were very rhythmic. Following a shake of his shoulders, the hardest part of his dance routine followed as a complex tap sequence interluded. Normally Youri would have a partner echoing each of his steps, but he wanted to get it right alone. Following a few complex flips and spins, he was back to the tap routine, as the song signalled its coming end. A nicely timed clap then continued the dance, as it picked up in tempo. The tempo defintely carried a Terran Salsa characteristic, one of the results of cultural diffusion between the Segan Monarchy and the Federation. After returning into a quick but extremely complex tap routine, he then entered into his own spin, wrapping himself in his own arms as he slowly pulled himself down to the ground, once he touched the ground the music finished in a crescendo. Youri smiled to himself, he had done it, he had completed the dance routine. His breathing was particularly hard as his entourage politely clapped around him. His servants were certainly amongst the nicest breeds of people. He watched as a cute female Lieutenant Commander with bright blue hair walked into the dance floor, bowing to Youri.   
  
"Your majesty, your call to the Supreme Militants' Union has been transfered here. You requested we informed you when we completed the transfer," The Lieutenant Commander nodded.   
  
"Aye, put it on the screen," Youri accepted the Lieutenant Commander's padd on the Cardassian Minority's request for an immediate alliance with the Supreme Militants' Union. He'd do his best to help out his best supporters at the current moment.   
  
"This is Chinon Royal Provincial Government to Supreme Militants' Union, please respond. Authenticity Code Alpha Zulu Bravo 2212," The Communications officer sounded off as the subspace channel was delivered to the SMU.   
  
One of the listen posts within the Supreme Militants' Union was quick to reply to the message, "Roger, this is SMU Listening Post Omega 5, please go ahead."   
  
"Go ahead, your majesty," The Communications officer announced through the intercom.   
  
"Youri Rosbourg here, I needed to speak to your Space Marshall regarding a request from our Cardassian minority," Youri announced over the subspace channels.   
  
The Listening Post's officer nodded and turned, "Please wait as I transfer you the S.M.S. Triumph."   
  
Space Marshall Nelson's robust voice sounded through the intercom, "This is Space Marshal Michael Nelson, how may I help you?"   
  
Youri looked at his clothes, which were certainly out of order in this situation, he hoped the Space Marshall wouldn't mind, this was an important negotiation for the Segan Monarchy, "Youri Rosbourg here, Space Marshall, sir," Youri smiled respectfully, "I wished to hmm...Let's see... I guess I wished to make some sort of request."   
  
"Of course, Your Highness. How may we help you?" Space Marshall was sincere in his question, Youri could feel that of what the IAP had been branding a "tyrant."   
  
"I have recieved here a hmm.. request by my Cardassian factions, "Youri glanced over his files that had been handed by the Lieutenant Commander, "They wanted an alliance with you... They stated you could perhaps assist us with defending our Milky Way Galaxy territories."   
  
"Well, now... That is a request I can certainly grant!" Nelson exclaimed.   
  
Youri looked at what his foreign minister from Cardassia had advised, "We would certainly compensate you with our maps of the Seevenar Galaxy, the latest we have in time-shift and bio-metallics technology, as well as free access to our Milky Way Galaxy territories," Youri tried to make the best under the circumstances, "Would this be all right?"   
  
Space Marshall Nelson was in his own way pleased with the alliance of power, it would secure a strong power-base for him politically now as well as militarily, "Yes, this will be great. It will be an honor working with you and the Cardassians, your Highness."  
  
"Understood," Youri tried to sound official but ended up blushing at the respect offered to him by the human, " A Cardassian representative will be dispatched to your location immediately, at the current moment it isn't too safe for me to leave chinon. We can then make the alliance official?"   
  
"Sounds like a plan your Highness," He turned and looked at the maps, "It will be a pleasure working with you... and believe you me, no one is going to mess with your territories."   
  
"Thank you Space Marshall, " Youri smiled his infamous boyish smile, "You'll be relieving a massve potential hotspot."   
  
"I wish you best, we'll keep in touch," Nelson replied.   
  
"Thank you ,thank the Quadaz for you, Space Marshall," Youri elated as he watched his mother come into the dancing hall, "If you'll excuse me, Space Marshall, the Reverend Queen is calling for me."   
  
"Of course, your Majesty," Nelson smiled, "I will speak again with you soon."   
  
The computer display turned off as the three dimensional representative of the Segan emblem was left in its place. With the transmission cut, Youri Rosbourg was free to return to the pressing matters that of keeping the Reverend Queen happy until she stated she didn't need him. Charles walked over to his grandmother who extanded one arm, the signal for Charles to become a top scale gentleman. As the two walked out of the Dancing hall, they were surrounded by their royal guardsmen. The marble floors echoed with the sounds of many footsteps as the Reverend Queen led the group into the gardens. It was raining and umbrellas were quickly rushed to the Reverend Queen and her son as they walked into the manicured gardens. The Reverend Queen was genuinely worried about her grandson, and her grandson's safety. Luckily his mother had moved to Cardassia Prime secretly, but there was still her grandson to worry about. The warfront was growing dangerously close to the planet as well. What if he were to be captured, or worse killed if Chinon were to be overrun. She held on tighter to her grandson as they continued to walk down the hallways.  
  
Youri took deep breaths of the air around him. The rain had just stopped falling and everything was encompassed with an untouched wetness. The gardens smelled wonderful as the flowers released their most powerful scents in response to the rain offered to them. Even the air smelled wonderful as all the scents mixed together to offer freshness to the air. He felt much more alive being away from his royal clothes as he was permitted once again to just be Youri. Since he was 3rd in the line of the throne, he didn't feel much of a need to be royal. And then, he became the heir to the throne and much more was expected of him from everyone, including his father. Luckily he was still kept out of the light of the news, now being *the* King, he was commented on freely by SPNN. Youri watched his grandmother prepared her speech, he could feel it building up.   
  
"Youri, I want you off Chinon," The Reverend Queen glanced over, "I've seen your grandfather, father, and mother die... I do not need to go to anymore funerals."   
  
"Grandma," Youri looked at his grandmother and smiled, "I'll be fine, you know that."   
  
"No, you don't," The Queen snapped back, looking ahead, "I want you to be safe, the reports coming in the news are very disturbing."   
  
"We'll be all right Grandma, Youri clapsed his grandmother's hand, "The Cardassians are going to work out a treaty with the Supreme Militants' Union for us, we won't have to worry about the Milky Way Galaxy and the Cardassians will be able to help us. We're getting allies."   
  
"Not fast enough," she looked at him, he couldn't see it,"They can attack us whenever they wish, and if they were to take you, they'll kill you!"   
  
"I'll be all right, I promise, Grandma!" Youri smiled, he couldn't understand or imagine anyone killing him.   
  
"I don't know, Youri," she sighed, she couldn't get through to him, "I just don't know." 


	7. Chapter 6

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 6  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf   
  
_

  


The task force of forty vessels rested at full stop within the electrocutive nebula as outside the nebula, fightercrafts in time-shift patrolled the area making sure no Royalist vessel would appear. The fightercraft carrier that laid in the center of this task force was the flagship of the Segan Popular Union, here to bring a quick end to this long-lasting half year long civil war. In front of the fightercraft laying in a triangular defensive pattern were fifteen heavy destroyers of the Mary-Rosbourg class. The vessels, powerful, even if they were starting to show their age, had long been prepared for the forthcoming battle. The massive fightercraft carrier remained oblivious as well to the fifteen light cruisers that formed a rectangular defense perimeter, with ten heavy battleships flanking the fightercraft carrier with a clear intent on making sure nothing touched the fightercraft carrier. The Arcathia, the name of the fightercraft carrier, was named after a miraculous battle during the First Great War against the Carnians. Now, the ship bearing the name of the Battle of Arcathia, would also be a history maker of its own. Within the bridge of the magnificent ship-of-the-line, on the center chair sat the emboldened Vladimir Rosbourg. Vladimir stared at the front screen, seeing the lighting bolts striking dangerously close to his capital ships.   
  
As he heard the whispering of the Styx Arch-Achroid in his head, Vladimir knew the Styx were growing increasingly impatient. Vladimir allowed a sigh of nervousness and discomfort exit through hs mouth. The Styx had promised his people death if they didn't engage in war against the Segan Monarchy, and he knew he couldn't face a Styx massacre of his people. It had boiled down to numbers, the Styx were more numerous and the Selevenar Alliance of Powers nicely tucked in behind the Segan Monarchy wouldn't have lifted a finger to help. Vladimir knew of this, the Rosbourg family back at Chinon would have cheered at the thought of an external power exterminating the "Segan Rebels" which had threatened the illegitimate stability of the Monarchy. As all these thoughts melded in his mind and interracted with one another, his anger rose. Years of intolerable violations by the Segan Monarchy would be repaid, maybe the Styx had forced him to take these course of actions, but he was sure glad. Had they sat and waited, the Monarchy would have grown strong again, and that was inacceptable. This, was the only way, and they were hours away from succeeding. His anger had grown, and at its fever pitch, it caused the Styx Arch-Achroid's command to sound even louder... "Finish this."  
  
"All ships, move out of the nebula and initiate Operation Annihilate 01," Vladimir's voice ordered calmly, he quickly felt the ship moving... this was it, the attack was beginning.   
  
The nebula parted like a dust cloud as ship after ship poured out of it. The defensive network of the entire system flashed for a moment and then deactivated, the Chinon star system stood defenseless as forty enemy vessels prepared for their assault on the new homeworld of the Segan Monarchy. The Prime Minister, whom had been awaiting the arrival of these vessels, stood in triumph on the balcony of the second floor of the Chinon Royal Council District. His people had arrived to sabotage the Chinon start system's extensive defense batteries, and they had arrived to do it undetected. In space, Vladimir's task force assumed high orbit of the defenseless Chinon, there were no ships to answer Chinon's distress calls, even if it could send them. The entire Chinon star system now knew of the traitor in their midst. There were only a few people with the kind of access it would take to deactivate all the defensive and communications batteries of this star system, and even fewer with the motivation to do it. Prime Minister Defont didn't worry, however, he knew the SPU would come out victors in this battle. Word spread quickly in Chinon of the enemy force in high orbit. It had reached the Palace within minutes, and already servants and guardsmen prepared to mount a defense if the Dauphin Crown Prince so ordered it.   
  
The rain had stopped pouring over the palace long ago, and the lingering smell of drying rain was supreme in the Palace gardens. Inside however, no one had stopped to notice the beauty nature was producing in the midst of this "foreign" invasion. High above, from Vladimir's task force, fightercraft squadrons could be seen descending upon the main cities of Chinon. The guns which were meant to repel these squadrons had been silenced by treacherous sabotage, which had secured the mother of all wins. Soon, hovertanks too were being dropped from the support vessels, an entire army was descending upon the planet unchallenged. Deep inside the palace, His Majesty the Dauphin Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg stared with a lost gaze from his second floor quarters. He looked down at the courtyard, a sense of dispair falling fully upon him as he realized the magnitude of the defeat, which had fallen upon him. He had never wanted the task at hand, much less wanted it at age 17, but now that he had been given it, he had failed miserably. He had failed miserably in his task of defending a 10,000 year old legacy. He also had failed miserably in the task of honoring his father's, the Chilam's honor. A small tear formed from the tear duct, running down his cheek, his lost created a huge knot in his stomach.   
  
The Ghost Fleet was composed of two vessels, the Clarel Class Heavy Destroyer which was fast and mobile, extremely agile and extremely hard to detect. Supporting the Clarel Class Heavy Destroyer were the Selevenar Class Heavy Battleship, whose superior firepower and strength made them capable of taking care of a Federation Pacifica Class battleship or a IAP Cunningham Class battleship with relative ease. The Ghost fleet, all vessels member of it, had dissappeared mysteriously following the conclusion of the final battle that had driven the Styx Syndicate and Consortium out of the Milky Way Galaxy. However, despite this fact, there were several government agencies which had gotten their hands "in various ways" of the technical specifications needed to make the Clarel Class Heavy Destroyer. Amongst them was the Royal Legionaries, whom had sat quietly watching the civil war unravel. Now, seeing it almost ended, the Legionaries chose this, amongst all times to act. The Clarel Class Heavy Destroyer remained in high orbit as well as a cloaked shuttle escaped from its shuttlebay, heading for the palace with its precious cargo, time was of the essence. The shuttle sped past the invasion force unnoticed, the plan was succeeding... so far.   
  
"Prime Minister Defont," Vladimir Rosbourg's voice sounded through the intercom, as he watched the percentage increase slightly, "The invasion is 37% completed. We wish to congratulate you for a job well done."   
  
"Thank you, your majesty," The Prime Minister glanced over as around him the Royal Council awaited the arrival of the invading force, "I am glad you were able to arrive here in time."   
  
"It was no trouble, no trouble at all," Vladimir answered, looking over and smiling still unbelieving that they really had done it.   
  
Youri had barely noticed the shuttle that had landed in front of the palace walls, and taken off just as soon as four people had been dropped off. The doors to his quarters opened to reveal his grandmother, the Reverend Queen followed by his cousin who looked surprisingly just like him. He looked at his grandmother questioning, he hadn't seen Edward Defont in a very long time, and now he was here when it was most strategic not to be here. Edward was wearing clothes that were not indicative of his rank either, and Youri's eyes bulged when he began to undress. The Reverend Queen nodded for Youri to do the same, not a word was exchanged as they switched clothes. Youri was even more surprised, Edward looked exactly like him, there was no difference to be noticed. It was the result of many, many years of breeding amongst the Defont, Rosbourg, and Denmont families that had allowed for this miracle to occur.   
  
"You're right Edward, this plan will work," The Reverend Queen spoke, as she walked out.   
  
"Edward, it is good to see you," Youri looked, "What are we doing?!?"   
  
"We're making sure you survive, cousin," Edward looked over the window," They will arrive soon, you should go somewhere else in the palace, we can't get you out, they'll notice the transporter signal, in any case, it is better that you stay here."   
  
Youri was escorted out of his chambers as Edward practiced speaking in Youri's voice. Youri looked back, as Edward looked into his eyes. Something was up, but he couldn't place his finger on it. As he looked outside, he could see there was no time at all. The crash of the gates as they were forced onto the ground was loud and deafening. Hovertanks, carrying the flags of the Segan Popular Union rushed onto the palace courts, as troops began to pour out onto the palace's gardens. The flag of the Segan Monarchy was unceremoniously lowered, as a white flag was raised in its place. The civil war, for all intent and purposes had just been won by the Segan Popular Union. Edward's training, however, paid off quite well and the entire exchange had been completed without a hitch. Now, Edward thought, all Youri needed to do was survive in time for the counter-assault.   
  


- - - - - - - - - - -   
  


"We, the people of the Segan Monarchy, combine together to congratulate our victorious troops! The Segan POPULAR Union has succeeded in doing what we all thought impossible a decade ago. Thanks to the support of the Royal Council, our Prime Minister, and the Segan People, we can confirm now that our mandate has succeeded! It was our faith in the Quadaz, our faith in Segan law that made all of this possible! It was possible thanks our ships, our guns, but it was only possible thanks to our people. We are one again, one nation, one mind, one voice. The Segan Monarchy has been hurt, we've been hurt by the Styx, we've been hurt by the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers, and we've been hurt by Youri Rosbourg's campaign against our people! We will take revenge now upon what has been done to us. The Segan POPULAR union is popular not just with our soldiers, but also with you! We will continue to represent our interests in the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers, we will continue to represent our interests in the Selevenar Alliance of Powers, and most important of all, we will continue to rebuild what has been destroyed. We will not arrest any of you for your actions, we know that it was Prince Youri Rosbourg who put you all up to this and he will be taken care of...within the bounds of the law. We will be sure to make our Segan Monarchy, a happy Monarchy! Salve, peace and may the Quadaz be with all of us!" Vladimir Rosbourg finished his speech elated, but he knew many were watching, he had a job to do now, ensure the Monarchy united, survived.   
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. Chapter 7

Subj:**The Dancer Prince: Chapter 7 **  
Date:08/03/2000 10:03:49 PM Pacific Daylight Time  
From:Ambassador Wolf  
To:Commodore Rom, RawI IwHov, Cpt Narn  
To:Amb OctorAredys, Sideki8251, StarTrekCC, Sa Hargh  
To:AmbAesira, Captain Dearing, Ambassador Zenai  
To:Ambassador Wolf, XoVelvetDncer, FltCaptainBennet  
To:Kirk216783, LtnNelson  
  
_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 6 Available through Request. _  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 7  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


Segans have a saying, "Ambassadors are worth one hundred of a hundred RDA agents." Ambassadors are the most skilled at the arts of deception, persuasion, manipulation. They are capable of broadcasting more information than any propaganda scheme. They are capable of destroying nations, or saving them, they are more valuable than sovereigns themselves. They are capable of negotiating for hours, prodding for weaknesses and securing deals which, although claimed compromises are clearly in favor of their sovereign nation. Segans have another saying, "The creation of a central government provided us with unequivocal strengths, and unequivocal weaknesses." When a central government is formed, it is much easier for these Ambassadors to secure a great base of power domestically, and abroad. Ambassadors are more valuable than any minister, they are to be kept close to a sovereign's side for them to be of any use. Any sovereign who fails to do this, will be left open for attack and will not able to withstand the power an unfriendly diplomatic network, controlled by Ambassadors.   
  
Ambassador Yrishna Wolf, Head of the Segan Mission to the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers. She glanced over her accomplishments over the fairly busy week. With the Federation Speaker gone, she and her allies had been given the opportunity of a lifetime. She had plans to undermine the speakership for a long time through some extremely complex diplomatic maneuvering, but she had never been able to put it into effect. She stared at her padd, located on a secure database at Starbase Tranquility, she was sure the files were safe from her Federation counter-part. She had met with Ambassador Rom to discuss the terms of the Sego-Romulan motion, and she felt pleased at the prospect of the speakership being out of the way. Word from the Cardassian Monarchy had also spread that Her Majesty the Princess Catherine Defont had recieved Maitre Wolf in her court and that she would meet the Supreme Militants' Union as soon as Maitre Wolf was briefed. It had been a good week for Yrishna Wolf, and she had no doubt she would continue to have one.   
  
She glanced from one of the Mission's plexiglass windows and watched a Carnian walk by. She had served in the Segan Embassy to Carnia for many years and could remember her warm appreciation of Carnian life. She thought back to the Council meeting, and how she had skillfully applied salt onto the wound which she had correctly deducted existed between her Federation and Carnian counterpart. If she could slightly push the Carnians into their own bracket, the Federation and the Carnian Imperium would be forced to use their diplomatic strength at countering each other's presence as the Speakership of the Alliance. Once that was completed, Yrishna smiled, it would time for her and Rom to stop the Alliance from going downhill. It was one of the most complex and aggressive diplomatic moves she had made in years. When she arrived on Tranquility as a replacement Ambassador, she had certainly allowed herself to be shied into place as Vice-Speaker. She had grown now, well aware of the situations surrounding her.   
  
Away from Starbase Tranquility, Vladimir Rosbourg glanced over the intelligence reports on the entire Youri Rosbourg diplomatic cadre. If there was something Youri had won easily, Vladimir thought, it was in Youri's securing of foreign allies. No soon had the war begun could he already see Federation ships just finding ways to go around the political complexities to get involved. Luckily, their quick campaign with the assistance of Styx supplies had made sure the Federation couldn't get involved. Youri's surrender was clear cut and gave him a free reign over the Segan Monarchy has he sought fit. But he wasn't particularly happy with having a Pro-Youri diplomatic network working for him. Vladimir wanted the diplomatic network to reflect him, and him only. He glanced over his acquired Prime Minister. The Defont had proved to be an unusually resourceful ally. Indeed without the Prime Minister, they would never have been here at Chinon in the palace. Vladimir watched as his teenager flew down the palace halls with his phaser shooting after one of the teenaged palace servants. Kids, Vladimir thought, as he returned to his work.   
  
"What do you think, Defont," Vladimir glanced over the biographical file of the ambassador to the Alliance of Powers, "It seems to me as if this... Ambassador Yrishna Wolf was strongly in favor of the Youri regime... She has a post which has grown increasingly important over the years, I've noticed."   
  
"Indeed," Defont thought about Yrishna, they had worked together before in the Foreign Service. Defont thought of her as an impressionable type, only needs a little steering, and she could easily be reprogrammed, "Perhaps if you called her here, she would switch her ways."   
  
"You think she'll be an easy one to chance to our side, Defont?" Vladimir glanced questioningly, he didn't know much of the IAP, much less of Yrishna.   
  
"I believe it shouldn't be too difficult," Defont looked over her picture, "Yes, not too difficult at all."   
  
"Patrikoveskovako!" Vladimir yelled, looking over the picture of Yrishna again, good looking girl he thought as he saw the communications advisor arrive, "Get word to the Segan Mission to the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers, that the Government orders Ambassador Yrishna Wolf to report back to the Capital for an immediate review of diplomatic policy."   
  
"Aye, sir," Patrikoveskovako replied, turning around and walking out, it wouldn't take long for the hyper-subspace communication to arrive to Yrishna.   
  
Starbase Tranquility was brimming with life two days later as several starships carrying luxuries from exotic lands arrived to dock with the starbase. The docking assignments were being handed out with a passion as ships departed and came in at deafening speeds. Starbase Tranquility had taken several months for it to return to the same commercial producing levels as Starbase Metropolis, but now that it had, it seemed the place wouldn't stop. Embassy parties too were on the rise as more and more ambassadors mingled with one another in strange attempts at using parties to win an advantage. Ambassadors of smaller nations too had begun to use Starbase Tranquility as a platform of their visions for a better future, futures where their small nations could grow unimpeded by the Alliance of Powers. The Intergalactic Alliance of Powers had quickly and surely developed into a secluded cadre of ultra-powerful nations, the IAP had also quickly but surely gathered enemies other than the Styx.   
  
Ambassador Yrishna Wolf stepped out of her quarters, dressed in her usual regal clothing. As she walked down the corridors that led to the Segan Mission ,she knew that something had gone terribly wrong. She couldn't point her finger on it, but she knew something had changed. As her steps quickened, she entered a turbolift, calling for the 2nd Floor. Stepping off, she looked down below at the Promenade where the other missions were located. She nodded to some of the embassy workers entering and exiting their various embassies as she walked towards hers. As the doors hissed apart, allowing the Ambassador to walk in, she entered to hear low murmurs. This wasn't good, Yrishna thought as she looked at some of the embassy workers standing mute, and others seemingly distressed. Something had happened, and she didn't know what.   
  
"What's going on people?" Yrishna asked with a sense of purpose, "There is work to be done, news reporters to answer, and you are all standing here doing nothing."   
  
"We heard you got fired," One of the younger staff workers replied plainly.   
  
"What?" Yrishna laughed, unbelieving of what she had just heard. When she came to a realization that it was possible, she stormed into her office, picking up the padd on her desk marked confidential. Leave it for her workers to read what was confidential.   
  
"Ambassador Yrishna Wolf," The Prime Minister's voice sounded through the padd, "You are to report back home to discuss the new political agenda of the Segan Monarchy. You may potentially be reassigned to a more valuable position closer to the Segan Monarchy. A vessel is on its way to pick you up, be on it when it asks for you."   
  
Yrishna Wolf placed the padd back on her desk, as she looked at her diplomatic staff. This was not good, she thought. A promotion closer to home meant they were weary of her work, and weariness of her work was something that was not good at all. She began to think quickly, her bags would need to be packed quickly before the ship would arrive.   
  
  
  


  
  
  
  



	9. Chapter 8

_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 7 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 8  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


The city was filled of voices announcing "Fresh terran grapes for sale!" or "Tholian silk for sale!" or "Groomed Segan unicorns for sale!" Everywhere left and right the ambience of an entire city filled with commercial streets, and large boulevards with towering skycrapers rang through a prosperous city. Being one of the largest cities in Chinon, this city had developed through a large spending of funds, and a large amount of crossed fingers the largest downtown district Segan people had ever seen of one of their own city. When the downtown district, slowly but surely developped more and more skyscrapers of metal and glass, this city was blessed and became well known as a tourist destination. Segans have a sense of uniformity to themselves, there are things which define them as a people and one of these things is their sense of architecture. Each city is defined by a clearly defined downtown district, which spans the length of that city. Often, the largest amounts of funds is spent on beautifying the heart of the city, downtown and often, downtown is characterized by beautiful boulevards that are lined with kilometers on end of parks. For Chinon's largest city, this wasn't any different.   
  
Now the heart of the Segan Monarchy, Arnouville was for a time a burgeoning, yet sleepy metropolis with suburbs making the area bustling with 4,000,000 inhabitants. With the destruction of Segania Prime and the First City, plans were hastily made to make Arnouville the provincial center of a Monarchy that had lost its home. While the money to reconstruct Segania Prime had been secured from the Tholians, the Monarchy was not yet ready to reconstruct home. With the Civil War, it was much more easy to take up arms against one another and create further pain in the Selevenar Galaxy. Arnouville had proven itself to be the center of a Monarchy split at its core, and there was little time to mend the wounds. Past the flying personal shuttlecrafts, in the downtown district stood two palaces which had been converted in a rush to become the center of the political world of His Majesty the Crown Prince Vladimir Rosbourg's government. Deep within one of the palaces was the meeting chambers of the Royal Council.   
  
The Royal Council was left cheering when Vladimir Rosbourg succeeded in defeating Youri Rosbourg. Vladimir Rosbourg had promised a much more liberal stance on the Royal Council's dealings, something which the Royal Council was waiting to hear. Youri, and the dynasty which had brought him to the crown were characterized with a harsh hand on the Royal Council. Never had the Royal Council been given so little power, and so little say in what went on in the government around them. The Royal Council, now given the power to pass and approve legislation offered by the sovereign ruler of the Monarchy, stared across the Vladimir Doctorate with great warmth. The Doctorate, on the surface, seemed to promise equality under the law. The Doctorate was a revolutionary idea in the realm of Segan judicial history, and it certainly came from a revolutionary person in the Royal Council's mind. When it was time to vote, the Royal Council was kind but not obliging when the Royal Council grudgingly approved of the Doctorate 170 to 130. Vladimir realized he still had work to do to fashion the Royal Council behind him.   
  
"The Segan Monarchy under the former Rosbourgs has been a nation suffering under duality. The nobility has for many enjoyed illegal rights under law which ensured any crime they commit was not punishable by death. Even with the nobility there are some crimes which are unforgivable, and with this Vladimir Doctorate, we will ensure that both the nobility and the Segan people fall under equal justice in the criminal law system. Together, we will destroy the duality which has split our peoples!" Vladimir smiled as he waved goodbye to cheering crowds outside and retreated back into the palace. The message was aimed directly for Youri Rosbourg who had dared to stand in his way with securing the Crown. Had Youri held out any longer, the Styx would have secured the Segan Popular Union positions and that was something he could not accept. With Youri Rosbourg being tried as he gave out his speech, he knew it would only be time before S.P.N.N. would find out about it and begin coverage of the trial. He luckily had secured most of the S.P.N.N. connections, and with the media in favor of him, it would be more easy to secure control of the media.   
  
"Your Majesty" One of Vladimir's aid walked into the room, carrying a parchment which seemed of important notice.   
  
"Yes, Henry, what is it?" Vladimir turned to watch Henry walk the full length of the room.   
  
"We've just recieved word from the Court that the Jury are beginning their deliberation," Henry nodded, handing the parchment as confirmation.   
  
"I see, and S.P.N.N.?" Vladimir glanced outside, still hearing the crowds cheering.   
  
"They're beginning to cover it. S.P.N.N. plans to break the news at their regular news hour."   
  
"Understood, I'll be watching closely, you can go Henry," Vladimir glanced back, "Let me know when the news is on."   
  
Cameras rolled from the Court Royal of Justice as S.P.N.N. and other major news agencies began to relay the news that had been able to get leaked to them. So far, news was skimpy but even the rumors of it was enough for this to make headlines. For the first time in history, a Prince had been placed on trial and the prosecution was seaking the death penalty. S.P.N.N. had sent its best reporter on the job, as the rumors began to get streamed into every subspace news channel in the galaxy. It wouldn't be long before the Milky Way Galaxy would hear the developping news events unfolding within the Segan Monarchy. Already Federation and Romulan news networks were sending reporters to check out the rumors. Finally, after much waiting, the prosecutors walked out of the Court Royal of Justice to take a rest for the day. They waved off the news reporters stating "No comments," and other nonsensical responses. Aside from them one could hear S.P.N.N.'s lead anchorwoman responding to the events.   
  
"We are continuing our coverage of unfolding news here at the Court Royal of Justice in Arnouvilles. It has been confirmed that His Majesty Prince Youri Rosbourg is being placed on trial for crimes against the Segan Monarchy and that the prosecution is indeed seeking the death penalty for those crimes. This is a historical event, ladies and gentlemen for this is the first time that a judiciary body is actually following through with the allegation that Youri Rosbourg committed crimes against the Segan Monarchy, and it is also a historical first that the death penalty is being sought after for these crimes. Now James, the law states that crimes against the Segan Monarchy are usually crimes committed to destroy in someway the legitimate governing party at the time, what this is saying is that basically Vladimir Rosbourg was always the true leader of the Monarchy, a powerful statement indeed that sets the tone for Vladimir Rosbourg's believed eventual ascendance to the throne. With the approval of the Vladimir Doctorate, it seems more certain that the Court Royal of Justice's jury if they find Youri Rosbourg guilty of these crimes will have to proceed on the prosecution's advice," the anchorwoman stopped a second, as she looked outside of the screen, "James, it seems we have more developments, the prosecution team seems to be returning just as soon as it has left, it could be possible that the Court has decided on a verdict. The Defense and the Prosecution both rested their cases today, supposedly, of course we have very little to go on. We will continue to cover this incredible developping story, back to you James."   
  


- - - - - - - - - - -   


  
Youri glanced as his former servants and himself were being led out of the palace onto waiting shuttles. He made sure his face was covered, for he didn't want anyone to catch on to his true identity. The sacrifice which Edward was making had succeeded so far, but his heart ached for his cousin. The sacrifice for a nation he loved made him a true patriot, and Youri promised on the honor of his family and of Edward that he would never forget the actions of Edward. As he made a pact with himself, he was pushed onto the shuttle by the point of a phaser rifle, and he climbed onto the shuttle. He looked around, he hadn't seen his grandmother during the entire duration of these incredible events and he wasn't sure if he should be worried, or happy. He stared out of one of the shuttle windows as the guard stepped in menacingly, he didn't want to talk anymore and would shut himself out to the world. He turned as S.P.N.N. was turned on, he had barely heard of the trial that had been started and he only heard the worst in his mind as it kept repeating.   
  
"James, well," the S.P.N.N. news anchorwoman began, "The historical first has occured. The Court Royal of Justice of Arnouville confirmed today the jury's finding that His Majesty Prince Youri Rosbourg had indeed committed crimes against the Segan Monarchy. The judge today decided to use the full extant of the law, and with the Vladimir Doctorate approved the judge found that Youri Rosbourg should be executed. The execution has been scheduled for tommorow, and we'll be there to cover it."   
  
Youri could only whisper one word of shock under his mouth, "Edward." The shuttle doors slammed shut as the guards guarded the package of royal servants. The shuttle began its slow ascent towards space, it would only be time before they reached the prison ship Yritria, and from there, they would be sent to more permanent jailing facilities. The ordeal had only just begun.   


  


  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. Chapter 9

Subj:**Chapter 9 **  
Date:09/03/2000  
To:Ambassador Wolf  
  
_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 8 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 9  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
Additional Writing Credits to Space Marshall Nelson  
  
_

  


A lone Cardassian vessel slowed from its faster-than-light speeds as it entered Sector 248 of the Alpha Quadrant. The vessel was a Cardassian Galor class warship, that although had been designed over a century ago, still served as the backbone of the Cardassian military. The Galor class warships hadn't changed in color either, they still sported a golden orange color scheme that had characterized the Cardassian military at its height. A long time ago, the Cardassians had been able to stand up to the Federation, but those days were long gone. The Cardassians had now been reduced to being members of a Segan Monarchy. The Segan Monarchy, however, also had its own troubles and the Cardassians were now alone, again. The Cardassians had quickly banded together in a makeshift Cardassian Monarchy, but even with 750 Cardassian warships outfitted with Segan shields and weapons, the Cardassian Monarchy couldn't withstand an assault by His Majesty Prince Vladimir Rosbourg's government. The Cardassians, who had selected a Segan leader to continue the royal line, understood this best of all and they understood the human phrase "the enemy of my enemy, is my friend."  
  
Sector 248 was a quarantined zone named so by the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers' Council. Sector 248 was one of the sectors claimed by the Supreme Militants' Union, one of the sectors which was patrolled by a behemoth that had been designed as the secret weapon of the I.A.P. As the Cardassian vessel approached coordinates two three nine by two four seven, the vessel lowered its shields as a sign of friendship and kept a power array of sensor scans all around it. Finally, the Cardassian vessel's sensors picked up a pair of fightercrafts bearing the SMU logo approaching it. The fightercrafts seemed to be flying in a rather peculiar formation, but they were protecting a very large flagship. Cloaked, the two kilometer flagship of the Supreme Militants' Union approached the Cardassian vessel, stopping 500 kilometers from the much smaller Galor-class starship.   
  
Her Majesty the Princess Catherine Defont walked out of the transporter room of the Triumph, closely guarded by SMU guards. Her long robe trailed behind her, as her Prime Minister, Maitre Wolf walked along side of her. Catherine watched the interior of the Triumph carefully, noting it was purely utilatarian in design. She remembered the palaces on Segania Prime, noting the contrast between the two species' designs. Segan palaces were the ultimate in extravangance, the Triumph sharply contrasted with that. Wolf glanced over, watching Catherine's eyes wonder as they walked down the corridors, led by the SMU guards. He couldn't begin to understand what was going through the head of the Cardassian Monarchy's mind at the current moment. They needed the SMU in case anything went wrong, they needed them more desperately than Space Marshall Nelson knew. Catherine Defont, followed by Maitre Wolf entered the conference room, seeing Space Marshall. Both Defont and Wolf bowed to him as a sign of respect, as they began their long negotiations.   
  
"Greetings Space Marshall Nelson, in the name of the Monarchy, and her future, I thank you for accepting to hear my argument out. Prime Minister Wolf informed me you were very apprehensive of the situation," Catherine Defont watched Space Marshall Nelson closely.   
  
"Your Majestly, please have a seat," Nelson smiled as his hands gracefully pointed to the chairs reserved for these very important guests, "You too, Minister Wolf."   
  
Catherine settled into her seat comfortably, keeping her long dress from getting ruffled by a quick maneuver of the hand. She had learned it many years ago in school and had become accustomed to being watched carefully for the perfect execution of the motion. As Catherine was settle, the now Prime Minister Wolf also sat down, watching the two sovereigns carefully. History was in the making, and he was sitting in the front row seat as he had so often done in the past years. What had made him special? He had become a focus point, and a sort of stand-in soul for the Monarchy. He was thankful for the challenge, but often he felt overwhelmed by it.   
  
"The SMU has always admired what Charles Rosbourg, and the traditional Monarchy," Nelson paused to carefully think out his next words, "We only wish to see if we can aid your movement any further."   
  
Nelson sat behind his desk as Catherine fired off her own compliment, "My uncle always spoke highly of your work developping the Strategic Readiness Agency."   
  
The Marshall laughed heartily, "Yes, those were the days...where we all knew what our jobs were. Now we've become scattered, displaced. It's amazing we aren`t ALL at war, your Majesty."  
  
"I am not too good with politics, indeed... two years ago, it was unimaginable to me and my family that those.... Rebels... would manage to take our thrones and call it... justice," Catherine's voice was filled with disgust and emphasis, she had yet to digest it completely.   
  
"That is why we are both here, your Majesty. We wish to seek TRUE  
justice," Nelson watched his potential ally carefully seeing for her response.   
  
"I thank you, Prime Minister Wolf... he has our proposal for you. If you'd care to hear us?" Catherine was perhaps a great speaker, but she was never destined to be the driving force behind the Cardassian Monarchy, those with effective intelligence networks would pick this fact up.   
  
"It will be an honor. Please, Prime Minister Wolf,"  
  
The Former Maitre smiled and turned, "I believe what Youri  
Rosbourg discussed with you will no longer be enough... We were hoping that an alliance would still exist between our two powers.. but that, we'd coordinate our efforts more closely.. Especially towards an operation we will need done, with your assistance."   
  
Nelson smiled, as the word "operation" rank in his mind "What will you require from us, Minister Wolf?"  
  
"We are both military men, and we both know that what makes the enemy shake is seeing fleetsof powerful ships unscathed, untouched... untouchable. Do you remember the Ghost Fleet, the one Charles used to lead the defeat of the Styx?"   
  
The Marshall nodded, remembering how powerful those 'ghostly' ships were, "Yes, they saved us all."  
  
"They dissapeared shortly after the rift was destroyed...We're certain the fleet was moved by the Quadaz somewhere inside Segan territory. That is the assumption Youri Rosbourg's been working with, and that is why our strategy has been to hold out as long as possible as our ships search Segan Sovereign space trying to find that vessel."   
  
Catherine jumped in, "Segan Sovereign Space is over 3/4 of a galaxy, the quadrants are now firmly in SPU hand, we need ships.. ones that can't be detected."   
  
Maitre Wolf nodded, "The Cardassian vessels we have haven't been complemented with the right equipement, and in any case, their sensor devices aren't powerful enough..."   
  
"So you want us to donate, so to speak...our vessels to the search?" Nelson's mind contemplated the mission proposal that was being delivered to him, it was a difficult one indeed.   
  
"Yes, exactly. Your ships were complemented with the best Segan technology had to offer at time of design. If you help us find the Ghost Fleet, we will offer one of these ships to you to do whatever you wish to it. Assimilate whatever technology you'd find of interest," Maitre Wolf was offering a historical proposal, never before had the Segan Monarchy completely offered its technology in such a manner.   
  
Nelson shook his head "I will not need such payment your Majesty. The SMU will do this...free of charge."  
  
Catherine smiled, "We must do something to repay you...It wouldn't be honorable not to."   
  
The Marshall laughed, "Well...we'll discuss that at a later time. What exactly will you be needing? So that I may notify my Deputies."  
  
It was Maitre Wolf who'd speak again. "This needs to be done stealthily, if.. if Vladimir finds out what we're doing, he'll certainly execute more of the royal family. His popularity has increased as of late with his rallies... He wouldn't have a problem with his actions. We don't know where the ships are... or if the ships come 'staff included' so to speak."   
  
"Well...all of our ships are equipped with time shifting, the ability to make rifts, cloaks...You name it....we have it. If you want, I will donate the Triumph to the search," Nelson had always wanted to visit Segan Sovereign Space anyhow.   
  
"That should certainly facilitate operating in unfriendly territory, whatever you wish to offer," Catherine glanced, "This entire thing rests on the success of that operation. We'll assign Segan liasons to any ship you send in order to assist with coordination and cultural exchange if you need to do anything planet-side."   
  
"Well..." Nelson looked carefully at a PADD "we have 750 ships not tied up in operations...I am willing to donate all 750 ships, including this one."  
  
Catherine gave a small snicker, "I knew our membership fees  
to the IAP seemed a little high for just maintaining a station."   
  
Nelson chuckled, "You don`t regret it now, though."  
  
Catherine smiled, "Politicians never do once we get to use the equipement. Your offer will suit us quite nicely... You should be able to comb through Segan space much more quickly."   
  
"We will designate the Triumph as our command center, if that's  
all right..." Nelson watched, just in case there was cultural law which forbade such a thing inside Segan space.   
  
"None at all," Wolf replied, "We'll coordinate with you from Cardassia Prime, including giving you any information we get from Chinon. We still have operatives working under my wing in there. In the event this... surrender was to happen."   
  
"Excellent. Until then, I`ll start gathering our fleet." Nelson watched Catherine closely, "We will find those ships your Majesty....I promise."  
  
"Thank you, thank you for giving our Monarchy a new hope."   
  


- - - - - - - -   


Ambassador Yrishna Wolf glanced over the reports from the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers. After having been called back to Segania Prime for a diplomatic review, Yrishna had discovered that she had made quite a powerful new pack of enemies back home. As she headed back to Starbase Tranquility with orders to cool relations with the Federation government, she knew there was a plan amiss that she wasn't being told about. Yrishna sighed, having drained all the useless information of the report. She had picked up the report to fill time in the first place, with still two hours of flight time before they'd reach Starbase Tranquility. Starbase Tranquility had finally grown to equate the amount of space traffic her predecessor Starbase Metropolis boasted, but it had taken time and now staff shortages which used to be of minimal effect to the Starbase were kicking in. In order to curb these effects, a Starfleet Admiral had been sent and would have to meet with her soon as she headed the Starbase Tranquility military appropriations committee. She had long commented that Starbase Tranquility only had 10% of the staff numbers Starbase Metropolis had, and that it (the problem) would soon attack the Starbase with a poisonous bite   
  
Yrishna glanced across her aisle seeing a family of Segans arguing endlessly on what they would do once they reached the United Federation of Planets. They were wearing humorous caps proclaiming "Warning, Segan Tourists In the House." Yrishna offered a smile as the family watched her for a moment only to return to their debating. She looked over her watch, noting that the Starbase would still probably be lacking in activity and she muttered she wouldn't have a chance to eat any good food upon arrival. Having eaten only replicated foods during her entire trip, she was less than ready to acquaint herself with more of it. She looked up ahead, and noted that only 1 Earth hour and 30 minutes remained in this voyage. She would have much work to do the next day, however, as she would have the brief the entire Embassy staff on the new positions ordered by the Government. She sighed, noting that some of the positions were almost one hundred eighty degree reversals of things that the entire Embassy staff has so precariously tried to build. There were many a times when the things they had tried to build had almost collapsed on top of themselves. But now, as though answering every prayer for this not to happen, it was going to happen at a deafening rate. Cancellations of agreements, cancellations of treaties, withdrawal of troops and supplies, holding off on payments, and pressure for those who owed to pay it or face legal action by the Monarchy.   
  
A shadowy figure passed Yrishna on his way to his seat. The cape that followed him measured the length of him from his shoulder to his feet. The cape was held on to his normal civilian clothes by a clasp of three eagles, arranged in a triangular fashion. Yrishna watched carefully having been uneasy about him during the entire duration of their journey. As she attached earpieces to her ears and began to listen to some quiet Romulan music, she kept her observation of the figure as he grabbed some equipement that was curiously military in nature. She sighed, had she had her attache of intelligence handy she could have known within minutes who he was, what he was, why he on this flight, the name of his mother's maiden name, and how many sexual partners he's had in the past four years... theoretically, at least. How much the government could spy on its citizen and how much it actually did were always matters the government enjoyed letting the media argue upon endlessly.   
  
The pilot announced over the intercom that they had entered Intergalactic Alliance space, and that those who were not I.A.P. citizens had to begin filling out their customs forms. Yrishna smiled, it was hard to find a citizen who wasn't a citizen of an I.A.P. member nation, and those who were were determinedly part of some of the outcasted non-alligned worlds. As several of the passengers took the forms, Yrishna waved off the forms handed to her. She had both diplomatic immunity from any of these silly forms, as well as the fact she was a Segan citizen. Yrishna looked back as the attendants completed their collection of customs forms. She decided that while the ship would arrive in an hour, it would take an additional hour before Tranquility could process docking assignments for the vessel. She readjusted herself in her chair and allowed herself to fall asleep, two hours worth of nap was always handy.  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter 10

_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 9 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 10  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
Additional Writing Credits to Joan La Chercheur   
  
_

  


Looking out of her window that overlooks a green meadow filled with tulips, Joan stood there listening to the news broadcast regarding His Majesty Youri Rosbourg. The crisp morning air sent chills throught her as she reached to close the window. Joan looked across the room, as if investigating to make sure everything was here. Her handmaiden, Piper, entered the room carrying the tray which held her breakfast. While Joan knew Piper had entered the room, she did not look back as she listened to the broadcast with devotion. "The Royal Council stated some doubts as to the stability of the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers. With the recall of Ambassadors Zenai..." Joan sighed as she turned to Piper.   
  
"Piper?" Joan beckoned.   
  
Piper replied, "Yes Miss?"  
  
Joan continued, "Get my clothing ready and have my shuttle ready to launch ."   
  
Piper nodded, "But Miss, are you sure it will be safe for you to go?"   
  
She had since moved to watch the view outside of her window and now she looked away from the window, "I am not sure yet, but I have to see His Majesty about something."   
  
Joan knew something within is pushing her to see him. She knew if she didn't make that move there would be a major turn of events. Although, she hadn't known that by the time it would reach her Chinon, it had already happened.   
  
"Piper, you must not let anyone know where I am going," Piper looked at her and was about to say something, but Joan continued, "... Piper, I've never ordered you before, don't make me start now."   
  
Piper quickly nodded and remained silent. Piper quickly gathered together Joan's clothing and other items that she needed to take with her. Joan took several bites of the breakfast which had been offered to her as she got dressed.   
  
"I need you to stay here and make sure everything is alright with Father... And I will contact you when I need you..."   
  
Piper didn't like the sound of that and she replied, "Miss, whatever you need for me to do, I will do from here."   
  
Joan quickly stepped on her shoes, mumbling, "I must get ahold of Ambassador Wolf to see where is His Majesty, I hear she is on her way to Chinon," She stepped out of her balcony and headed down the stairs for the shuttle padd. She nodded to several of her servants as she told them, "I am going on my retreat, please let my father know," she glanced back at Piper as she reached the shuttle and entered it, hitting the panel so the doors closed. She slipped into her seat as she began to hit the launching sequence on the panel, the shuttle lifted off into space.   
  


- - - - - - - -   
  


Days later, Ambassador Yrishna Wolf had finished her briefing with the new leaders of the Segan Monarchy as the fate of His Majesty Youri Rosbourg was sealed by his execution. She had to play a fine line between her affections to the old Rosbourgian dynasty and the one that had taken its place. Yrishna only dreamed now, having fallen asleep on the passenger liner that was taking them towards Starbase Tranquility. Her dreams took her in places of her fears as well as those of her deepest contemplations. Her dreams were deep, and she had not often had such a deep dream in many days, weeks, months. She grumbled as she slowly awoke, to the sound of the warp engines kicking offline, replaced by the impulse engines. As she looked outside one of the spaceports, she could see an unusual vessel pulling alongside of the passenger liner. As she situated herself, a gasp escaped her lips as she whispered "A Cardassian ship."   
  
The Cardassian ship fired two warning shots off the port bow of the passenger liner. Answering to the challenge, the passenger liner immediately went to Red Alert but as it attempted to send a distress signal to Starbase Tranquility it found the signal jammed by an unknown signal. As Yrishna Wolf's instincts kicked in, she rose from her seat and walked to the cockpit of the passenger liner. As she glanced into their eyes, she knew they didn't feel a confrontation with an armed warship could be won. The passenger liner could neither outrun the private craft, nor outfight it and it was clear that defeat had to be handed out. As the pilots hailed the Cardassian warship, their hail was promptly answered, as a Cardassian Gul appeared on the screen.   
  
"This is Gul Tarmek of the Cardassian Monarchy vessel Drakesh, passenger liner X-001 by the sovereign orders of the Cardassian Monarchy you are to surrender and prepare to be boarded," Ambassador Wolf could sense that the Gul was very serious about this order, and as she watched the passenger liner pilots, she knew she somehow was the target.   
  
Can dreams ever fulfill their prophetic goals? Yrishna had often asked herself this question and as she watched the Cardassian warship with both contempt and involuntary awe, she realized that she had been grappling this question for many years. Yrishna didn't know if she should be worried or happy at the coming of this Cardassian warship. As she ran through the logical and political steps through her mind, she realized that while she may be the target she knew she was in no danger. Yrishna nodded to the passenger liner's pilots as they lowered shields complying to the illegal orders of the Cardassian Monarchy. Within seconds, the Cardassian ship had beamed twelve security officers who were seemingly heavily armed. And then, there was darkness.   
  
She awoke into a bright room, and as she attempted to readjust her eyes she found that she couldn't. She felt a soft, kind, and warm hand help her to feet and she could feel the hand leading her towards the exit of the bright room. As she left the room, she could see that the lights had gradually dimmed as she walked down a corridor which was metallic in nature. She was on a ship certainly, or maybe she wasn't, she couldn't hear the humming of a warp engine or an impulse generator continually keeping this place powered. She knew it was powered somehow, the lights showed it. As her eyes finally adjusted, she could see the cape of the person who was guiding her. He was tall, much taller than she was, and his hair was long and flowing, tied in a pony tail in the back and blue and silver in color. She wondered what was happening, and how she had gotten here but somehow she always knew she wouldn't be hurt.   
  
They arrived to two doors, and as she glanced on the symbol of each door, she could read in the translation of old Segan that the emblem stated "Service to the Monarchy," the emblem was the one of the old Segan Monarchy, she remembered seeing it in her history book. She also remembered what section of society it had represented, but she had little time to reflect as she was led inside, she could see that the room had been laid out in a circle. Spread evenly throughout the circle, she could see several of what seemed to be high ranking personell, and above her she could see a symbol for each. She was lead into the center of the circle, and then watched as her guide headed to his appointed spot in the circle.   
  
"Intelligence Operations," One of the man from the circle stated.   
  
"Demolitions Operations," A woman this time.   
  
"Atmospheric Operations," A much younger person in the mix.   
  
"Counter-Intelligence Operations," A Cardassian.   
  
"Analytical Statistics," A person wearing the religious emblems spoke crisply.   
  
"Army and Naval Operations," A General.   
  
"Fightercraft Operations," Now a Air-General.   
  
"Starfleet Operations," And a Fleet Admiral.   
  
"Special Tactical Operations," A woman, wearing a fancy looking gadget around his eye   
  
"Liason to the Crown," The person who spoke was a princess, her crown denoted it.   
  
"Strategic Command," The person turned to Yrishna, who all the sudden knew who she was, and what her purpose was in the whole business of things.   
  
"Military Diplomacy," She was surprised that she knew, and even more that within seconds she was in her room, this weird meeting being over as quickly as it began.   



	12. Chapter 11

_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 10 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 11  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

Ambassador Yrishna Wolf awoke from her quarters in the Ambassadorial suite C-9 Alpha slightly dazed and confused. Indeed the events of the day before had only served to make what had been an entire journey back home to Segan Sovereign Space a very bizarre event. The entire ride on the passenger liner had been an even more confusing state of affair, she felt she had been in a long dream like none others. She also remembered the events which had occured after she had been essentially kidnapped from the passenger liner. The bright lights, the tall man with blue and silver hair, the reciting of all the different branches of the organization whom she had only known to say "Military Diplomacy." Ambassador Yrishna Wolf thought a second about what it meant, and turned her head and pulled out a book from her small but valuable library.   
  
Finding the page she was looking for in the book, she read to herself aloud the parts and bits of the Segan Monarchy's military history which were most important, "On the third year of the Quadaz god Qrakesh, the Segan Monarchy's top military leaders began to employ the term for diplomats who centered their diplomatic attention abroad on the Monarchy's foreign military needs as military diplomats. Although they answered to the Foreign Diplomatics Corps, they essentially also answered to the Military, and served as a liaison between the two to confirm that the interests of both the Diplomatics Corps and the Monarchy's military organizations were in synchronization. Too often in history, the Segan Monarchy learned had the military acted independent of the diplomatics corps when the two should have progressively strengthened together."   
  
Ambassador Yrishna Wolf stared at the book's lines again as she closed the book. She had uttered "Military Diplomacy" with an absolute absense of understanding at what the words had meant. Not only that, she had acted illogically, and irrationally under the circumstances. She had been kidnapped, but she had no way to prove it to herself or to others. The passenger liner showed no records of it being stopped by a Cardassian warship, much less of it being boarded. Yrishna wondered why she had uttered the words in the first place... there wasn't just an absence of understanding, there was a plain absence of everything. Nothing seemed in place, but everything did at the same time, she glanced over her view port, staring at the immobile stars. The moment she stared at them, she knew whatever she had joined, she had been destined to do it, one way or another.   
  
It was customary for her to check her subspace mail after she had gotten dressed, and this was no different a day in that manner. After having garnered a simple Earth clothing, she walked over to her glass and wood desk, and sat on her side of it. Her chair felt almost foreign as she had not sat upon it for many days, but she soon regained her comfortable stance within the chair. She had a leg drawn close to her body, with another free and gliding back and forth under the chair. With one finger on the mobile library control access and retrieval system, she went and burried herself in diplomatic related work, until she found one from an unknown ID. She accessed it and found that it required a password, stumped, she looked at the LCARS for a few more moments. The past few days had been weird, almost surreal and as she typed her customary password, she was promptly rejected. Frusterated, she typed in another, and older code which was again rejected. She had little patience for computers, and as she typed military diplomacy a third time, she found she had cracked the note.   
  
"Diplomacy and the Military are one," so stated the man with the blue and silver streaks, " Thus we need a skilled person to unite us in our goals and in our causes. The military shouldn't undermine the work of diplomacy, and once the military is called in diplomacy shouldn't undermine the work of the military. The strong link which is required by the military and diplomacy to work together must be accomplished through skilled hands, yours. Undermine that which opposes us, and you shall allow for the military to accomplish diplomacy's goal. Without the restoration of the true lineage, we cannot continue to exist and we will have doomed ourselves to extintion. You understand your mission, if not now you soon shall, it is no longer safe to continue this communication, this is Strategic Command out."   
  


----------------------  


It was night again, the time of the day which scared Youri Rosbourg the most. When darkness came, the prison guards were given free reign over the prisoners. Whatever rights the prisoners had during the day disappeared very quickly as night came. The day seemed to be all right to Youri, all right under the circumstances. While the work they had to do was difficult, as dilithium didn't easily break into its crystals, the whip didn't often fell upon the workers. It was at night that made his nightmares. He regularly heard the sounds of distress moans, blood curdling groans, and agonizing screams that came from the cells around him. He had been saved once by a unexpected visit from one of the high ranking officer of the enemy officer, and a second time because he had fainted before the actions which haunt him day and night had occured to him.   
  
Ever since he had left the palace, defeated, Youri's body as well as his soul had been broken. His arrival at this rentention camp, as the Segan Popular Union called it, had succeeded in breaking what was left of him. Around the camp's guards, it was known that Youri, or "Gerard" as he was known in this camp, was a both a wimp and an easy target for just about everything. Youri cringed, he had humiliated himself and his family, and worse more he continued to do so. He bit his lip hard, drawing a small amount of his blue blood as he held back tears which he had been wanting to shed for 3 years. On this camp, there was no crying, and no laughing. Youri threw his face closer to his body, not wanting to hear any more screaming, it was too much for him. It was like this, his face drawn towards his body, his hands protecting ears that he fell asleep.   
  
The crack of the whip, landing on his bare back, made Youri jump awake with a scream. Around him, others were being awoken in the same manner. The guards laughed around him as Youri stood up, his face looking down at the floor as he had been instructed to do. He had no will to resist this morning, nor any other and the scars which were on his back were no doubt appaling. The guards walked out, and a few minutes later other prisoners did the same. As Youri walked out, looking around the court yard where 2000 other men were camped out in the facilities created for one third that number began to come out. They were allowed a generous five minutes where they could converse, but mostly console one another. The blank eyes around the group signalled those which had been violated the night before, and in some places the dead were dragged out and put into a pile in the middle of the courtyard for everyone to see.   


  


His Majesty the Prince Alexander Rosbourg ran down the corridor which led to the turbolift, calling for the CONN before his servants could follow him. He wasn't allowed to go up to the bridge of the vessel, but who was going to tell him otherwise aboard this ship. As the heir to the throne of the Segan Monarchy, and his father the leader of it, he didn't feel he had to answer to anyone. In fact, Alexander didn't even answer to his father, as this trip showed. He had been expressly forbidden by his father to go where he was going, but he wasn't about to be stopped by the father he hated. He had remembered the look of happiness and full content his father after he had signed an alliance with the deplorable Styx. Alexander may not have liked what the family of Youri Rosbourg had done to his own, but he hated even worse the idea of the Styx leading the Monarchy.   
  
When they had arrived on Chinon, Alexander was sorrowed by the sight of dead soldiers on the main streets of the capital city. His father, on the other had showed a sense of pride at the damage his troops had created. He and his father had never gotten along, and ever since his mother had died at the hands of the Monarchy, they had been further irreconciliable. Alexander felt the turbolift come to a stop, and he stepped out, looking at the small, slightly cramped flight control of the Mary Rosbourg Class destroyer. The engine shifted a bit as the ship pulled out of warp and entered impulse as they approached the desert planet of Trafalgar. Alexander watched as the red, orange, yellow planet grew on the viewscreen, and paid close attention to the entire conversation on the bridge. He brushed off the questioning glance the Captain gave him as he entered and sat in one of the chairs on the bridge, he had a purpose here and intended to fulfill it. He wanted to be sure that his father was indeed re-using the concentration camps that had been inactive since the First Great War, he in the end wanted to be sure that his father... no longer was his father.   
  
  



	13. Chapter 12

_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 11 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 12  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

The insignia of the old Monarchy seemed like a small dot on the agile starship that crossed Cardassian Monarchy space en route to the Segan Monarchy. As it entered Segan Monarchy sovereign space, it activated all its anti-detection devices and quickly entered hyper-transwarp. The red hyper-transwarp nexus seemed to engulf the starship as it headed at incredible speeds towards its intended target. The operation, authorized by the allied Cardassian Monarchy and the Supreme Militants' Union signalled a new friendship and a new balance of power in the Selevenar Galaxy that even His Majesty the Crown Prince Vladimir Rosbourg was completely unaware of. The vessel glided gently across through the hyper-transwarp nexus, and seemed to be at home in it, as it should be the vessel was designed for this kind of work. She was accomplishing speeds which were unheard of by the old standards of the Segan Monarchy, and the vessel was now heading back to the region where it was designed in search of her sisters.   
  
Captain Desmond stared across the viewscreen as an officer walked into give him a status report on the efficiency of the hyper-transwarp engines. Captain Desmond signed off the report as he turned his eyes onto the view screen. For approximately a week, they would be looking at this red hyper-transwarp nexus as it took that long to get to the Segan Monarchy. Once there, they would have to drop out of hyper-transwarp as Segan vessels knew exactly how to pick up a vessel travelling within a nexus. For Segans, who had mastered the art of detection, it was like throwing a pebble inside a pond a finding it from 500 kilometers away. Captain Desmond, however, was very apprehensive about the situation. He contained the sole operational Clarel class heavy destroyer in the universe, and he wasn't about to let this Ghost starship fall into the hands of the enemy.   
  
"Secure all compartments for drill duty," Desmond whispered to his first officer, who tapped in the code, "Initiate whatever combat drill you think is appropriate."   
  
"Understood," The first officer replied, smiling as he tapped in the codes, within seconds the ship shook heavily and seemingly began to loose speed.   
  
"Alert! Alert!" The Operations Chief Officer shouted, as he looked at his console, "I'm reading a pressure overload in the coolant chambers of the hyper-transwarp drive."   
  
"Take us out of Hyper-transwarp," Desmond turned to his first Officer, "General Quarters, #1."   
  
"Aye, Captain," The first officer glanced at his console, and shouted through the intercome, "General Quarters, General Quarters. All hands man your battlestions, General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands man your battlestations."   
  
"CONN, Engineering," The Chief Engineer shouted through the intercom, aware that this was a drill, "We're reading a massive overload in the hyper-transwarp drive, we're going to need to eject the drive before it exploads!"   
  
The hyper-transwarp nexus disappeared around the ship as the ship seemingly exited the transwarp nexus, the ship shook slightly as the flight control officer reported a succesful exit out of the nexus, Desmond turned to the intercom, "Engineering, CONN. eject the hyper-transwarp drive."   
  
"Captain," The Tactical Officer stated calmly, "I'm reading 3 Mary-Rosbourg class starships heading our way, I think they're detecting us because of the hyper-transwarp drive."   
  
"Understood," Desmond glanced over to the navigation's officer, "Initiate evasive pattern Omega 3, arm all weapons, prepare for battle."  
  
"Setting course, bearing 249 mark 88," The navigation's officer announced as the ship banked a hard right, missing a phaser fire from one of the Mary Rosbourg class destroyers, "Tactical, I'm going to give you a shot...stand by."   
  
The Clarel Class starship displayed its increased agility as it made a ninety degree angle turn up, firing its forward phasers in an awkward fashion. Its Larisa guns caused the shields on the Mary-Rosbourg class starships to fluctuate wildly as it returned fire, hitting the aft shields of the Clarel class starship. The starship in turned spun wildly on its axis confusing the targeting system of the Mary-Rosbourg class starships. The navigations officers of the vessels were no doubt surprised to see that the vessel they were shooting at still had power within it as it mustered more power to increase speed. As it turned on its side, it fired off three EST torpedoes, all of them hitting the lead ship.   
  
"Direct Hit," The Tactical Officer announced, "Maximum damaged scored, 20% drop in power readings on the lead vessel."   
  
"We're hit," The Operations officer chimed in, "Aft shields at 89%, shields are holding."   
  
"Stand by for another run," Captain Desmond ordered, turning to his first officer, "Any particular move?"   
  
"Recommend the Lalpha maneuver," The Executive Officer replied, as the ship turned around for another pass at the pursuing Mary-Rosbourg class destroyers.   
  


- - - - - - - - - - - - - -   
  


"The Cardassian Monarchy has been extremely inactive in the Delta Quadrant, we had to arrest several Federation activists and expell them last month, this month there were none," Vladimir Rosbourg's prime minister reported as he glanced over the next order of business, "The Styx report that they will take care of investigating the Cardassian element and the reason for their lack of... activity."   
  
"Good, if the Styx are going to take care of it," Vladimir surmised, looking over the tactical readouts on his desk, "Then maybe we can transfer some of the ships near the Cardassian border back to the Delta Quadrant, there's also been an unusual amount of activity between the Supreme Militants' Union and the Cardassian Monarchy."   
  
"The Royal Defense Agency didn't report anything unusual, your majesty," The Prime Minister reminded Vladimir, he always seemed to be transfixed with ideas of conspiracies against him, "Are you certain you want to ruffle the feathers of the Supreme Militants' Union?"  
  
"The Supreme Militants' Union is a tiny bird compared to our allies," Vladimir smirked, looking back at the tactical readouts, "The Styx are pleased that we were able to take the whole of the Segan Monarchy so easily, they've visited yesterday to reassure me of their full support of our actions."   
  
"I..I..I see," The prime minister's voice became less confident, it was one thing to have Vladimir rule the Monarchy, but the Styx were awefully close to His Majesty and were too involved in the decision making process, "There is also the matter with the Federation and Carnian problem."   
  
"You tell our Ambassadors to shut their trap and that we have no comment," Vladimir snapped, as he pulled the intelligence files concerning the precarious involvement of Segan agents in stirring the pot near the Carno-Federation border, "You should tell our agents to go to Level 2, I want to see the Carnians and the Federation go further into this crisis. Perhaps we should display the Federation some of our 'latest intelligence readings from the Sego-Carnian border, especially the ones showing massive troop deployments near the area of conflict.'"   
  
"Very good, your majesty," The Prime Minister smirked at the ingenuity of the plan, "I'll transmit these images with the next intelligence package to our mission in the I.A.P. and the Federation, with express orders to relay the images as stealthily as possible, how will that do, your majesty?"   
  
"Perfect, it will please me as much as it will please the Styx," Vladimir Rosbourg glanced over, noting that Alexander's transport was due back soon, "Anything else on your agenda, Prime Minister, how is our prosecution handling the shooting down of the appeal?"   
  
"We're doing really well, we should have the 200,000 Segan guilden bribe into each of the judges by 17:00 hours today," The prime minister replied, looking outside the window, "The appeal should be no problem in your attempts at getting the media to become...state-controlled."   
  
"Excellent, keep me posted, Prime Minister," Vladimir Rosbourg, turned around, watching as Alexander's shuttle," Well, I need to see my son, Prime Minister, you're dismissed, see you tommorow."   
  
"Thank you, your majesty," The Prime Minister stood up, bowed to Vladimir and walked out. Vladimir was now left to offer a cold welcome to Alexander, his first born son.   
  
  


  
  



	14. Chapter 13

_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 12 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 13  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

Princess Catherine Defont walked out of her motorcade as she stared at the flashing lights of the police shuttles in front and behind her limo. Catherine nodded to her body guards as they walked up the steps of the primary government building of the Cardassian Monarchy. The primary government building was a building with much history behind it. The former headquarters of the Obsidian Order for the Cardassian Empire, this building had been the originator of many intelligence operations against enemies of the Cardassian Empire. Between the wars, which had permanently weakened the Cardassian Empire and eventually destroyed it, this building had been one of the few testatements of an Empire's greatness that had withstood long enough for the Segans to get here. Much of this building had been renovated to become the provincial government's headquarter, and now it was working double time as the headquarter of the Cardassian Monarchy. Catherine glanced at the arched points at the top of the building as she finished climbing the steps, her motorcade began to speed away as she entered the building.   
  
Inside the Cardassian Monarchy's Headquarter, Catherine was welcomed to the sounds of a working Monarchy. She was proud at what Maitre Wolf had accomplished since he had arrived and accepted to take the position of Prime Minister. The government's efficiency levels were up three-folds, and the enthusiasm at regaining control of the Segan Monarchy someday was at its peak. There were reports that within the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers, support for the Segan Monarchy was waning, and that allies had been enlisted into the Legionnaires. With the training of the first two squadrons of legionnaires, the Cardassian Monarchy had at its core approximately 1000 super-elite troops that could accomplish the impossible, these amounted to 100 active Legionnaire groups. They were disciplined, and aware and capable of performing almost all forms of known martial arts. They were excellent at the art of stealth, and they knew all there was to know about guns... They were the James Bonds and Batmans of their day armed with the best technology had to offer.  
  
As she walked further into the building, the security guards tightened to attention as she walked by. She could feel many eyes watching her as she headed towards the turbolifts that were straight ahead. She entered the first one that freed up when called upon, and she entered it, asking for the third floor. The Princess' office was at the top of the building, on the other side of Maitre Wolf's to be exact. She often left the door to her office open so she could wave to the charismatic man whenever he came out of his. She remembered how peculiar Maitre Wolf glanced at her each time she did it, but he soon got used to it. It was innocent admiration, in a sense, she thought... someone who had been so close to three leaders of the Segan Monarchy had to be someone worthy of much more admiration than that of a silly Princess trying to keep the ideals of a family alive through a make-shift Monarchy. She hoped that this work would succeed, however, and she sighed stating so under her breath. The turbolift grined to a stop, followed by a hiss of the turbolifts that parted to allow her to leave it. She stepped out, seeing Maitre Wolf running from one office and back to his. How peculiar, she thought as she headed towards Maitre Wolf's office, knocking politely on his door.   
  
"Come! Make it quick though!" Maitre Wolf's voice bellowed from inside   
  
"Prime Minister?" Catherine walked in, staring at the Maitre intently, "Don't you know we have rules about running inside this building?"   
  
"I apologize, your Majesty," Maitre Wolf tapped the screen on, "But after watching that S.P.N.N. report, I'm surprised no one's challenging this damn decision by Vladimir"   
  
She rarely watched S.P.N.N., but she had never gotten the heart to tell the Prime Minister about that, and as she stared at the screen she quickly realized why he was angry, "As our loyal S.P.N.N. audience probably knows, we have been ordered by the government as part of the martial law order to stop transmission and allow the government to take over supervision of our content. S.P.N.N. has been ordered by the courts to comply to this order and we will thus be experiencing a minimum one day information blackout until the government confirms that our transmissions are legal under the martial law order. We apologize for any inconvenience this may bring to our viewers, but we feel it is better to transmit something than nothing at all. This is Francesca Derv, signing off."   
  
"Now," Maitre Wolf muttered, "Aside from our legionnaires we have no way of getting any credible information out of the Segan Monarchy, and we don't nearly have enough legionnaires to make sure everything is true, damn it!"   
  
"This martial law business will also make it much more difficult for our legionnaire teams to get together," Catherine realized, "They placed a curfew in order if I heard right, Prime Minister?"   
  
"Indeed," Maitre Wolf muttered, "Vladimir's blaming it on us for it too... In any case the martial law order's taken me by surprise, I'm not quite sure what our next move should be."   
  
"There's got to be something we can do," Catherine sat in one of the chairs available inside the Prime Minister's functional office, she thought a moment trying to see if history could bring them any hints, "Any news from the Supreme Militants' Union or the S.W.D. Bastion?"   
  
"The Bastion will reach its destination in approximately two days, they'll begin their search as soon as they arrive. The Union supposedly is in place and has begun to search, but no news from them either... it could be a while," Wolf's voice sounded annoyed, "I wish there was something we could do to challenge Vladimir's hold."  
  
"What are our Legionnaires trained to do?" Catherine thought for a moment, thinking she may have an answer to Maitre Wolf's question. She hoped Maitre Wolf's answer was the one she was looking for.   
  
"Well, they're designed to do everything in stealth, whether that be combat operations, search operations, intelligence operations, sabotage, and many more things, why do you ask?" Maitre Wolf glanced over to Catherine," Have an idea?"   
  
"Sabotage! Of course!" Catherine Defont stood up from her chair, and began pacing around the Prime Minister's office, "If we send our legionnaires to accomplish sabotage missions, it theoretically will give the Segan populus the momentum it needs to realize Vladimir Rosbourg is slowly taking away their rights away. If we were to...sabotage say... *ALL* the SPNN stations in the Segan Monarchy, and then some... we may just be able to send a weak subspace signal telling the truth about the man."   
  
"Hmmm, you're talking about an operation which is much larger than what the Legionnaires could do... We only have 1000 of them, about one hundred teams... they have thousands of reception stations..." Maitre Wolf glanced over," But, we're overlooking something... The Supreme Militants' Union isn't the only one who isn't exactly happy to see Vladimir Rosbourg fully secured on the throne."   
  
Catherine snapped her fingers, "The Federation!"   
  
"Exactly," Maitre Wolf glanced over, "With your permission, your Majesty, I'll get in contact with Ambassador Wolf on Starbase Tranquility, she's our new head of Military Diplomacy, she probably will understand what we're after."   
  
"Permission granted," Catherine smiled and walked towards the door of the office, "I'll inform the Legionnaires of their first mission, if I'm needed to go to Starbase Tranquility inform the Ambassador I am an available option."   
  
"Understood, Your Majesty," Maitre Wolf smiled, "Have a good day."   
  


- - - - - - - - - -   
  


  


Ambassador Yrishna Wolf wasn't having a good day. The Foreign Affairs Ministry had given her the duty of sending the United Federation of Planets a harshly worded condemnation for their actions along the Carno-Federation border, actions which she wasn't entirely sure were fully to be blamed upon the United Federation of Planets. The government had certainly given her a handful to digest as she had read the condemnation beforehand to make sure she knew what she was supposed to be discussing when she handed the letter to the Federation ambassador. The now government-controlled S.P.N.N. also began to proclaim with big words the position of strength this condemnation gave to the Segan Monarchy. Yrishna thought otherwise, she felt it was more the Segan Monarchy toying with fire, a dangerous fire considering the United Federation of Planets' current military gains.   
  
Having become a military diplomat for her secret agency, she had begun to pay closer attention to the military positions of the neighbors of the Cardassian Monarchy. The United Federation of Planets' Starfleet had been building some impressive starships as of late, and it showed in their reports to the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers. The Carnians too hadn't been keeping quiet in their military creations. The report showed an almost equal number of ships under construction as the United Federation of Planets. The Carnians had a particular advantage, they were barely touched by the Styx and they had already possesed a military force which had been able to hold off combined assaults from the Segans and the Federation, the Segans being at their prime back in those days. She sighed, she didn't like His Majesty Vladimir Rosbourg much, but she didn't want to see him make dangerous mistakes that would have major repurcussions on the civilian population.   
  
Yrishna glanced over her personal LCARS connection, she wondered what the subspace answering box would bring this time around. Yrishna watched, as her computer warned her of new mail. When was there no mail she began to think as she turned her eyes on the mail. Her face gradually showed surprise as she found a message addressed to her, encrypted and requiring visual and audio password confirmations. She inputed her codes, and could tell now that the message was from Prime Minister Wolf of the Cardassian Monarchy. She glanced at her locale, she was in the middle of the Segan Mission to the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers. She represented an undying devotion to the Segan Monarchy, a Monarchy which currently was led by the forces of His Majesty the Crown Prince Vladimir Rosbourg. She tapped the codes for locking out her office, and tapped the message open.   
  
"Ambassador Yrishna Wolf," Prime Minister Wolf's voice sounded serious and grave, "I am sending you this message on all the incripted channels I can think of. We have a mission that we need you to do, and we need you to send us confirmation of the success of your mission. The Legionnaires are being briefed at the same time as you are of the necessary nature of this mission in order to ensure that the Cardassian Monarchy can continue to support our allies within the Segan Monarchy for the time it takes for our major allies to find the Ghost Fleet. We need your assistance in getting the United Federation of Planets to send a massive task force consisting primarily of sabotage operatives in order for the Cardassian Monarchy to knock out the S.P.N.N. subspace broadcast network. We will be sending all our legionnaires in as soon as you give us the word in order to plan for their sabotage operation. Once the subspace broadcast network of S.P.N.N. is down, we will be able to begin work on setting up a new kind of revolution, a new front which will allow us to regain what was wrongfully taken from us. Please begin your work immediately, there isn't much time to loose."   
  
The communication finished and showed the emblem of the old Monarchy, she tapped the intercom open, "Ambassador Yrishna Wolf to Ambassador Manny Sideki, I need to meet with you in the most private of locales... There is a favor I need to ask of you."   
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	15. Chapter 14

Subj: The Dancer Prince: Chapter 14  
Date: 19-Oct-00 23:08:51 Romance Daylight Time  
From: Ambassador Wolf  
To: Commodore Rom, RawI IwHov, Cpt Narn, Amb OctorAredys, Sideki8251, StarTrekCC, Sa Hargh, AmbAesira, Captain Dearing, Ambassador Wolf, XoVelvetDncer, Admiral Volch, Kirk216783, AMBASSADOR SECT, Jdbommer, Lt Col Skywalker, GodsDog12, Crescendo621  
  
  
Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 12 Available through Request.   
  
  
The Dancer Prince   
Chapter 14  
  
  
Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
  
"Deploy additional gendarmerie forces to sector 9," The lieutenant shouted as he looked over the tactical maps of the city. He ducked as an explosion rocked the street where he was located.   
  
"The Army states it's being tied down in the outskirks of the city, Lieutenant," A sargeant having just arrived on a police hover shuttle shouted as he skipped out of the vehicle, "They're being tied down in Sector 2, and they say it will take them a while to get here."   
  
"We'll try to hold off as long as possible then," Lieutenant Gray replied, looking over, "Watch that line, men! You! Over there, get to Sector 8 and tell them to transfer some of their men to Sector 9, that entire sector is going to burn to the ground if we don't give the SAMU some space to get in there and fight the fires!"   
  
Lieutenant Gray took a moment of breath from his orders as he watched the police officers in front of him fighting a horde of civilians back from the police headquarter station. They were in Sector 1, which was deemed to be in fairly good control. As he looked out from the police headquarter station, he could see fairly good control amounted to absolutely nothing. Police officers and civilians exchanged hits, and the civilians regularly throwed self-made explosions at the police baracades. Further along the city skyline, one could see many patches of smoke rising above the high rise of the city. They were coming from Sector 2, 7, 8, and 9 which had gone into full riot situation. Everything in those sectors were being smashed, and the gendarmerie could do little but sit low and arrest those rioters which were fortunate enough to be walking in small groups. In Sector 2, The Segan Royal Army had begun deploying its marines into the city and small artillery shots could be heard eminating from the northern downtown sections. With the army called into action, he could tell this would be a several day operation, and that many people would be sent to detention camps, and many others would be either injured or killed in the tension.   
  
"Hey! S.P.N.N.'s no longer blacked out!" One of the Sargeants from within the police station shouted, "I'm getting a weak reception through!"   
  
"Hold on, they're going for another push!" Lieutenant Gray jumped down the stairways leading to the streets and grabbed a batton, helping his fellow peace officers hold the line to the police headquarters, "Give him a good whack then!"  
  
The Sargeant ran out of the police headquarters, with his stun rifle in hand, "S.P.N.N. states we're not the only city encountering these riots, two other planets are reporting the same thing in the Zone!"   
  
"F***, that's not good news!" Lieutenant Gray glanced over, "Fire stun rifles! Get these monkeys running!"   
  
  
- - - - - - - - - - -   
Several Days Later   
- - - - - - - - - - -   
  
  
"Come on everyone, out and about!" The police lieutenant shouted as he entered the quarters of the police station, "Shift Alpha move it! Come on we've got a lot of work to do, those rioters are still out there and we haven't even gotten half of them in here! Move it! Go!"   
  
The police lieutenant shifted some of the immobile bodies on the double bunk beds. These were some of the young graduates from the local police Academy who had never imagined they would be in the middle of a literal war-zone fighting some of their former peers. The Lieutenant could see from his waning police forces that the battle against fatigue and lowering morale was starting to impact his troops. He himself wasn't sure the police was going to be able to hold out against these endless waves of rioters. They had arrested over 200 rioters, probably more than they would arrest in a regular single month, but it had done nothing to create a dent on the rioters outside. The Lieutenant himself hadn't had a moment of shut eye for 48 hours, and it seemed like he wasn't about to get any. All the sudden, he heard a scream and the sound of windows crashing falled by an explosion which rocked the Police headquarters. He ran out of the bunkers, followed by some of the weary police officers, and entered the main office of the police station, seeing some of the consoles burning from what had seemed to be a bomb. The rioters were back, and in force. He turned around, seeing the blank stares of his police officers, he felt anger at the fact it was his police station being attacked.   
  
"Let's go, grab your shields and get out there! MOVE!" He shouted with a voice that made everyone start gathering their gear to enter the riot scene again.   
  
"Lieutenant, we're recieving a message from the Military, they're still stuck in Sector 2, but they want to talk to you," The deputy assistant of the police station shouted from the communications room.   
  
The police lieutenant jogged over to the communications room, and grabbed the visual headgear which allowed his holographic projection to be seen by the military, "Lieutenant Devraux, Gendarmerie HQ here, over."   
  
"Delevanaus Squad Alpha Leader," The Corporal replied, looking at some of his files, "We've just recieved a communique from Segan Fleet Command, seems the government called for some alien reinforcements for us. We're to expect Tholians and even damn Carnians to be arriving here soon to relieve our friends. Do you copy? Over."   
  
"Gendarmerie HQ," Lieutenant Devraux replied, seeing that this meant they were going to get probably large amounts of fresh reinforcements, "Acknowledged on that, are they going to need a safe landing pad? Over."   
  
"Delevanaus Squad Alpha Leader... Affirmative, we're sending the Tholians as soon as they arrive here to your sector in order to try and get us some sort of safe passage and communication route between you and us. May need to clear a landing pad at Gendarmerie HQ, can this be achieved? Over."   
  
"Gendarmerie HQ," Lieutenant Devraux glanced outside, seeing the overturned police shuttles being currently used as barriers to the gendarmerie headquarters, "We don't have one right now, but I guess we're going to have to do something, over."   
  
"Acknowledged, Tholians expected in 12 hours... Will that be enough time? Over," The corporal glanced over his strategic files again.   
  
"That should, and then some, over," Lieutenant Devraux glanced over, seeing his deputy watching over his shoulder, he nodded to him as if to say they could do the assigned task.   
  
"Understood, we'll try to counter-attack here in mass to give you enough time to set up your landing field, over," The corporal turned around, "Have to go, we're under attack. Delevenaus Alpha Squad OUT."   
  
Lieutenant Devraux immediately turned to his deputy, "Come on, lad! We've got work to do! Sound the general alarm, get everyone up, we're going to need to set up a whole new front of defensive barricades!" 


	16. Chapter 15

_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 14 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 15  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

Vladimir Rosbourg glanced over the high ceiling windows, peering over the green landscape that was characteristic of the manicured gardens of the Palais d'Arnouville. Vladimir Rosbourg glanced over the pouring rain, refusing to flinch when he heard the sound of thunderous booms. He turned around, his crown reflecting off the chamber lights of his room. While the rest of the Segan Monarchy was firmly under his power, the Special Administration Zone in the Delta Quadrant had been particularly special in its case. The riots which had produced like wildfires within the economic centers of the zone were caused by somebody, he wasn't sure who was to blame. The United Federation of Planets could potentially be the enemy responsible, but they weren't ones to annex territories in this manner. The Cardassian Monarchy could potentially be the cause, but it was in the end, not equipped with the kind of resources needed to pull this off. Someone was responsible, he just wasn't sure who.   
  
Vladimir felt a brisk hot wind carrying the wind over the room. He shivered, in spite of this hot wind and felt worried. The wind reminded him of the red planet from which he had launched his invasion. The homeworld of the Segan Popular Union was just as red and bitterly hot as this wind was. Vladimir turned away from the window and drew back the moment he saw the shadow that had been forming behind his back. He hadn't seen the shadow which had controlled his actions during the civil war for so long that he had almost forgotten about him and his evil, subservient servants. Vladimir walked over to his bed, feeling a need for something to support him. The shadow had never appeared when things were going well, as was clear when the shadow's presence was lacking when Vladimir secured his power base here in Chinon. But ever since the riots had begun on Delta Prime, it had taken the arrival of the Tholians and the Carnians for the balance to return in favor of the Segan government. It was a dramatic sign of the government's incapability in dealing with a massive riot.   
  
The shadow materialized in front of Vladimir in a sort of half scream. The natural form of the Styx Arch-Achroid was now in the room of the heir to the Segan throne. The Styx Arch-Achroid was the embodiment of the Styx, both past and present. What had turned a species of such beauty, of such creativity and peaceful nature into the evil super-power that they had become was not understandable. It was beyond humanity to consider what had happened in between the past and the present, that humanity would not have comprehended it all. The Styx Arch-Achroid had been the sovereign leader of a Federation-type government, who held war as the absolute last option. Now he was the sovereign leader of a government which was willing to go to war, and kill those who didn't have the same genetic heritage. The Styx Arch-Achroid stared down at his newest servant, Vladimir... The riots were unacceptable of a satellite of the Styx Syndicate.   
  
"First it was the civil war, Vladimir," The Styx Arch-Achroid shouted in a voice that echoed before it even had escaped his lips, "Now it is these riots, it becomes more and more clear that you are incapable of governing even the smallest of Monarchies."   
  
"Your Eminence," Vladimir could feel the Styx Arch-Achroid's mind control as it forced him to bow in front of the Arch-Achroid, "We've called in the aid of the Tholians, we're soon getting the upper hand, I assure you the riots will be stopped within several days."   
  
"Your detention camps serve barely as a punishment for these people who dared rise up against our authority," The Styx Arch-Achroid glanced over to Vladimir, squeezing the neck of his servant mercilessly with his eyes, "You will allow my vessels, disguised as your own to take care of finishing this riot control business. We will be sure they never rise again against you, or us."   
  
Vladimir coughed as he was released from the Arch-Achroid's grip, "I will do as you ask, your eminence."   
  
"It is not like you have much of a choice," The Styx Arch-Achroid stared past Vladimir as he stared into the greenery with spite, "You are all to be given a lesson in the harsh cruelties you will face in our universe. Our vessels, spread out across your territories will reach the rebellious region within 3 days, inform your allies to vacate the area."   
  


The Arch-Achroid's half scream filled the room with dreary sounds again as a strong wind swept throughout the room. Vladimir dropped onto his bed, having passed out from the release of the mind control. It was the strongest mind control the Arch-Achroid had put him through yet, and it seemed the Arch-Achroid showed little care in the injury he was causing of his servant. As Vladimir was left to dream, he attempted to think what the Styx would be doing for their "riot-control" assignments. He was surprised by the mention of disguising, what did the Styx plan to do that could possibly make their ships look line a Segan Mary-Rosbourg class destroyer? He further ventured into the deeper, darker realms of his sub-conscious. It was a trip that changed a man to the point that when he came back, he was no longer the same man that had existed. All the good that remained, had been replaced with a dark, evil personality.   
  
- - - - - - - - - -   


  
The secondary shields of the fourth fightercraft lighted up in a bright blue hue as it contrasted against the green phaser discharges hitting upon it. The fightercraft made a sharp turn away from the phaser discharge, turning towards the right as another fightercraft flew behind it to confuse the phaser targeting sensors. The maneuver worked, and both fightercrafts quickly joined the other two fighters in an evasive run. Following closely behind the four fightercrafts were two vessels which were at least thirty times the size of the fightercrafts. The fightercrafts dodged further phaser fires with relative ease as they flew further into non-claimed space. In a back drop of stars, the fightercrafts were engaged in an uneven battle against much superior warships. As the two battleships fired off three torpedoes, one of the the fightercrafts' shields held off one last attack, as two of the torpedoes hit the nose and the aft engines of the fightercraft. The fighter quickly spun around on its axis and exploding, a small shockwave ringing around the explosion.   
  
"Shields at 65%!" The engineer on board shouted, "We've lost warp engines!"   
  
"The Athabascias is down, it just blew up behind us," The tactical officer replied, "Firing off the last of our torpedoes, we're all out of them!"   
  
"We've barely made a dent in their shields, Jered," The navigations officer replied, as a console exploded in the back of the cockpit."   
  
"I'll get that," Jered replied as he went to contain the fire, "Helm do we have anywhere where those damn battleships can't maneuver?!?"   
  
"Yes, at bearing 249 mark 88... some sort of anomaly known as the Badlands, it gets awfully close to Federation space however," The navigations officer replied, as his console shook.   
  
"We don't have much of a choice, set a course and engage at best speed, inform our fighters to follow us in," Jered smirked, "If we can enter just in time, we might just live another day for the New Revolution."   
  
"Affirmative, setting course and engaging best speed."   
  
The fightercrafts, in a coordinated move made a hard turn to the starboard side as the fightercrafts exchanged positions in their triangle. The less agile warships struggled to make the equal turn as they fired off starboard phasers to counteract their lack of agility. The fightercrafts spun and evaded using S-shaped evasive maneuvers that closed their distance to the badlands. Straight ahead of the fightercrafts laid the massive and dense matter combined together to make the badlands. It was the perfect place to evade, and was particularly well suited for fightercrafts. Within seconds, with phasers still hitting their weakening shields, the fightercrafts entered the badlands, followed closely by the battleships. Around them, electromagnetic tornadoes formed and died almost as soon as they were created.   
  
"Shields are 15%, we're not going to sustain another phaser hit," The tactical officer reminded the staff," Entering the badlands, the Segan battleships are slowing down, we'll be out of their weapons range in 3 seconds."   
  
"We won't have much time, so let's think of ways of getting ourselves out of this mess, ahead full, navigations," Jared ordered as he muttered, "We've bought ourselves some time, but not enough to survive the trip."   
  
Ten minutes later, the fightercrafts emerged from the badlands unscaved by the tornado fields behind. The navigations officer quickly grabbed whatever power was available from their engines as they pushed the fightercrafts beyond their safety limits in an attempt to get away from the battleships that were a few minutes away. The moment they cleared the badlands, however, they would be able to overtake the fightercrafts with very little difficulty. The leaders of the New Revolution knew they were doomed. They all together had staged the biggest riots the Segan Monarchy had ever seen, and they would now have to pay with their lives. Following behind them were two destroyers of the Segan Royal Fleet. These vessels had fought other Segans before and were not afraid to do it again. To ask for mercy would mean being sent to these unknown detention camps, to the leaders of the New Revolution the time had come to become martyrs.  
  
The Segan warships approached weapons range, they had just exited the badlands and had pushed their engines to overload to overtake the fightercrafts. As the Segan warships acquired their tri-quantum torpedo locks on the fightercrafts, time-distortions were detected all around the Segan warships. Within seconds, three massive blue wormhole-like formations formed in a tight triangle formation around the battle scene. A flash of light emitted from within the wormholes as Cardassian heavy battleships exited. They were battleships that had waited in hyper-transwarp for the New Revolution vessels to enter Cardassian territory. The Segan warships were now in their turf, and they would be pay dearly for it.   
  
"Fire forward phasers, full spread" The Captain of the lead Cardassian warship shouted, "Ignore fightercraft targets and take out the lead Segan battleships."   
  
"Direct hit! Enemy shields are at 89%" The tactical officer replied, firing forward phasers on the second target," Direct hit, enemy forward shields are at 75%"   
  
"I'm reading their hyper-transwarp engines activating, they're going to make a run for it," The Combat Operations officer glanced, "Coordinates seem to be for the Delta Quadrant.   
  


"Let 'em, go," The Captain shouted as the Segan ships turned around and entered their own wormhole, "Hail the fightercrafts and inform them the Cardassian Monarchy welcomes them into Cardassian territory, and that our leader wishes to discuss an alliance treaty with them."   
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	17. Chapter 16

_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 15 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 16  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

Youri screamed in agony as the seventh lash fell upon his back. The whip which was used on him was one specialized for the purpose of taking skin off of the host. He cried like a banshee as the whip touched his hot blue blood. The whip was left colored by this blood, as it hit its pray again and again. Youri couldn't remember whether this was the ninth of ten lash that fell upon him as his voice became less loud, more subdued. He was loosing consciousness fast, as his cheeks became puffy red, sweat going down his entire body, causing his exposed back to hurt even more as the blood and salt mixed and reacted violently. He looked in desperation across the court yard for kind faces, but all he could see were detention camp gards laughing, or expression less faces that made up the crowd looking at him. He could faintly hear twelve in the back of his mind as the whip fell upon his back again. He phased back and forth, in and out of consciousness as he heard thirteen. Two more lashings and this torture would be over with, he screamed in ghastly pain.   
  
"STOP! If you lay one more hand on him I'll have you executed!" A voice from the back screamed, as the caped tall man ran into the court yard.   
  
The guard drew back, taking the whip in his hand that leaked fresh blue blood. He grunted as he looked over the man who had dared order him to stop his dispension of justice. The caped man finished running into the center of the courtyard, followed closely by two armed men. As he took a moment to catch his breath, the wind caused the cape to wrap around him, hiding part of his face. A gentle icy blue eye, and part of the cape man's light brown face were visible to the crowd. His cheeks had a slight rose tint, showing the man had run has fast as he could to get here. Youri, who'd taken this needed break to breath, now realized that his voice box had been strained by his natural response to pain. He was scared, the guard would now be doubly annoyed at his incompetence, not to mention that he hadn't done what the Sergeant had wanted to force upon him. He was still the youngest, unclaimed prize of all those in this detention camp.   
  
The cape from the man, finally wrested itself free, slightly waving to the side of the tall man. Standing at a tall two meters, the crowd could now see that at the top of his head laid a majestic crown. The crown was silver and blue in color, but since there was no sunlight out, the crown didn't reflect off anything. The Segan stared at the guard, his blue icy eyes showing both a mixture of anger and sadness. His eyes showed the kindness which characterized the persona, and he was taken aback by the violence that had forced him to put a stop to this. How could he be an heir to such cruelty? What had he done to deserve this cruel turn of fate, when all he had wanted was to see the civil war which had brought all these servants to this detention camp finished. His father had authorized all of this, he knew they were working under his orders, his terrible, immoral orders. Alexander turned to his guide, who had been trailing behind ever since he had run towards the scream. The guide, in charge of this detention camp, was a fat man who reeked of incompetence and alcohol.   
  
"Colonel, I want this crowd dispered and this young man brought to my quarters," the man ordered, glancing over to one of his body guards, "Run and tell my chambermaids that I want this person cleaned up immediately."   
  
"Understood your majesty," The Colonel turned to his guards, "Put them all back to work, come on then, you heard the Prince!"   
  
Youri took one look at his savior, he watched the cape, the crown, his eyes. Youri took one more breath and fell unconscious, his limp body hanging on the bounds that had kept his back exposed. The man ordered that two of the prisoners carry him to his quarters. He couldn't believe that this was what was happening in all the detention camps, these were the things which his father had forbidden him to see. He was glad he had disobeyed the orders of his father, he now knew what was happening in the "unknown" detention camps, but out of anger and sadness he had spoken out when it was not safe. He had challenged authority when he shouldn't have, and used his position in a manner that did not conform to his duties. He watched as the young man was carried away, and stared in horror at the marks on the back. He had scars of previous lashings, which had been reopened by the new seemingly terrible assault. He was moved by incomprehensible grief and sorrow, if only he had arrived earlier.   
  
"Your Majesty," The man's assistant tapped on his back, "The man you ordered taken to your quarters has been laid upon your bed."   
  
The man shook his head of these irreconciliable thoughts. He looked around the courtyard, staring at the buildings which were so utilitarian in purpose. All of the prisoners had been moved back to the mines to do hard labor, there only remained the Colonel and his two assistants. He hadn't even noticed that all of this had been done during the monent he had entered his mind to second guess that this was not a dream. It was real, however, whichever way he tried to deny it to himself he had seen what was trully going on in these detention camps. The Colonel had told him that some minor corporal punishment was been applied, but what he had seen was a gruesome application of physical force on a teenager. He could tell the prisoner wasn't very old, most of his pectoral muscles hadn't developped fully. He nodded to the Colonel, and his assistants.   
  
"Is he awake?" He glanced over to his assistant, ignoring the fat Colonel.   
  
"He has fainted, your Majesty," The assistant wondered why the heir to the throne would get himself so worked up about such insignificant matters, "He seems physically unable to take that kind of physical pressure."   
  
"Physical torture you mean?" He asked rethorically as he turned to speak to the Colonel, "Please cancel my tour for today, Colonel, I need some time to reflect on what I just saw."   
  
"Certainly, your Majesty, you give me the word and I'll be right there, so long as it's not during my breakfast, lunch, or dinner," He laughed at his corny joke, which amused the Prince none.   
  
"Thank you Colonel," The Prince bowed his head slightly, as the Colonel responded with an equal bow, "The Crown wishes you peace and tidings, go and continue your work."   
  
"Yes, your Majesty," The Colonel replied as he turned around and headed for his office, pulling out some candy from his pocket to eat on the hardeous walk across the court yard.   
  
"There is always an old bafoon who looks like German sausage in our staff, why is that Richard?" The Prince turned savior asked, as he took his cape in his land, turning around to head towards his quarters.   
  
"I don't know, your Majesty, must be the Quadaz' chosen ironic destinity," Richard replied, as his co-worker and him followed the Prince with calculated precision.   
  
The prince smiled, looking back towards the office of the fat Colonel. He didn't watch ahead, as he stared back at the commanding officer of this detention camp. If there were hundreds and thousands of commanding officers like him in all the detention camps in all of the Segan Monarchy, then it meant hundreds and thousands of teenagers were beaten like the one he had seen today. It was a humanitarian disaster which he couldn't speak out against in any way. Not only because he was second in line to the Segan throne, but also because he felt his father was quickly loosing patience with him. He had begun to think that his father was willing to kill him if it meant securing his own power base. He felt his father didn't love him anymore. He wrestled himself free of the thoughts that were jumping through his mind as he approached the doors to his quarters. His royal guardsmen applied the security code to the door as it whooshed open.   
  
The Prince entered the room, taken aback by the pungent smell of fresh blood. He looked around his room, noticing something had changed. The room seemed as if it carried the air of something quite evil had happened here. The Prince hadn't noticed the evil qualities of the room until now, as he watched on his bed the victim which he had seen beaten so cruelly. He nodded for his guards to head to their quarters, as he watched the limp body on his bed. The young teenager had his back to the Prince, laying on his stomach. It would have been too painful to have him lay on his back, as that was where the most physical damage had been inflicted. The Prince counted the number of lash marks that was on the back of the body. He stopped counting at twenty-five, the unbearable idea that this young boy had taken so many lash marks was overwhelming. He walked towards one of the chairs in his room, as he sat upon it observing him.   
  
The Prince observed the young teenager carefully, observing every physical detail he could observe with his eyes. He even imagined what he couldn't see without seeming rudely intrusive to the boy's privacy. He doubted the guards gave him this much respect, but he felt that he had taken a position and would stick by it. He looked, sizing him up in comparison to him. The boy was slightly smaller than him, he probably was no more than one hundred eighty centimeters tall, with a weight of no more than fifty-five kilograms. He was almost anorexically skinny, a sign that he had been badly underfed and heavily overworked. His hands had a delicate quality to them, which had begun to show a bit of roughness to them. While he was skinny, his physical features seemed refined as if he had barely done any work while he was at the Palace. Perhaps, the Prince thought, he had been a servant to some of the young princes and princesses that had been transferred to a seperate detention camp. As he observed the features of his face, he seemed innocent and at peace. The Prince realized, he was finding him quite beautiful.   
  
Youri awoke abruptly, finding himself in a strange bedroom. He was horrified, he was in the room of one of his captors, being all readied to become one of their sexual preys. He watched, and saw the strange caped man observing him. As the man stood up, Youri jumped the otherway, running towards the doors which wouldn't open. He stared angrily at the caped man, unable to utter a single sound. He responded with animal instincts. The Prince walked carefully towards him. He tried any word he could to calm the teenager, he didn't mean any harm to him and he wasn't a pervert like the others in this camp ground. Youri realized, looking into his icy cold blue eyes that there was nothing to be afraid of this man. He now remembered what had happened in the courtyard, how he had been the only to speak up, to save him from physical harm. The Prince extanded a hand to him.   
  
"I'm Alexander," Alexander watched, looking for a response, "What's your name?"   
  
"You--, err... Gerard," Youri had so much wanted to tell him his true name, but he had remembered Edward's words that the family had tried to make him survive.   
  
"Gerard," Alexander smiled sincerely, "I'll make sure nothing happens to you ever again."   
  


- - - - - - -   
  


"Mr. President, I assure you the Segan Monarchy's top councilmen are well aware of the prestigious trade pacts the Monarchy has with the United Federation of Planets," Prime Minister Defont replied, feeling almost personally attacked by the Federation president's scolding remarks.   
  
"We have given the Segan Monarchy quite a bit of leeway, and have allowed them to condemn us with little response from us," President Sulu added, staring Defont right in the eye, "But I assure you, the Federation believes in the protection of the sentient rights of beings, and we would be very displeased if one of our allies were to violate that right with such disrespect."   
  
"Mr. President, on my word, I will be sure we set up an inquiry that will be composed of a multi-ethnic team of investigators that will look at the entire matter and give a full and public report on the events of the Special Administration Zone in the Delta Quadrant incident," Prime Minister Defont attempted to smile, "I am a man, like you, who was a bit shocked... I discussed the matter with the Crown Prince, and he too was quite unaware of what was happening and shocked to find these orders under his name."   
  
President Sulu, the charismatic leader of the United Federation of Planets wasn't impressed by this statement, was this a signal that the Segan Monarchy wasn't controlled by those same leaders which professed supremacy over their lands? "We hope that perhaps you consider the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers as an agency willing to send investigators to ensure the evidence is gathered efficiently and in a manner that is non-discriminatory."   
  
"Because of our longtime friendships between our two people," The Prime Minister began to say grandiously, "I, with my signature, will order that our investigators work side by side with a Starfleet investigative team that can be assembled whenever you wish. You would just need to get in touch with me to get around all the political red tape."   
  
"This is quite a generous offer," The President felt almost too generous according to the new stances the Monarchy had taken in response to the Federation, "And I have your word on this?"   
  
"You have my word, as a politician, a father, and a patriot to my country and to my people," Defont looked at the President, he had betrayed Youri for his own reasons, he felt Vladimir was a stronger leader than Youri was anyday.   
  
"Very well," President Sulu glanced over a padd, "I will offer this information in a closed session of the Federation Council, I will get back to within a few days with our response. Will this be acceptable?"   
  
"Certainly, Mr. President," Defont bowed slightly in front of interlink access, "I look forward to hearing from you."   
  
"Mr. Prime Minister," Sulu nodded," I have pressing state matters to attend to, so if you'll excuse me I am going to cut our discussion short. Until next time."   
  
"Understood, Defont out," Defont tapped the interlink closed, smiling.   
  
Prime Minister Defont glanced out one of the windows of the palace. From where he was sitting, he could see in plain view downtown Arnouville. The skyscrapers extanded high above, to the point that the sun was being hidden by the massive structures themselves. The palace, even though being in the center of the largest commercial district in Arnouville, was calm and quiet repulsing all sounds of traffic on the boulevards in front of the palace. The gardens too seemed to repel all sounds of any noise. It was as if the palace was in the countryside, a decieving aspect when indeed the palace was in the middle of a city with a population of one million just inside the city's center. Outside, in the suburban areas, there were even more people populating the cities and villages. A quiet island in the middle of a living, booming metropolis. He looked at the time on his computer and realized it was time to head home. He had been at the palace for several days now, and his family lived on another planet. So, every weekend he headed on a transport back to his planet.   
  
He walked out of his office, saluting the two military guards that stood in front of his door. He grabbed his suitcase on the way out, as he pulled the door shut. The entire palace was characterized by a respect for the traditional, if anything could be redone without replacing it was done that way. The palace was authentic to its history, having remained much the way it was for several hundred years. There were little plans to change it in anyway, aside from the usual needed renovation. He turned around and walked down the marble hall of the palace, his footsteps echoing through the hallway. He looked back, making sure no one unexpected was sneaking up behind him and turned back, making a right towards the main staircase. His motorcade was outside waiting already, the lights from the police cars flashing red and blue alternately. He walked down the steps at a fairly quick pace, walking out of the palace.   
  
From the third floor of the palace, looking at the motorcade, the shadowy permanent connection between the Styx and the Segan Crown stared calmly at the Prime Minister entering his motorcade. The Prime Minister had crossed the line with his call to the United Federation of Planets, and it had become time he paid for his treachery. He had betrayed his own people once, and should the Styx allow it, he would do it a second time. He watched, making sure the Prime Minister entered the agreed car, as one of the drivers of the front police cars looked up to see if the Styx representative was there. The policeman gave him a thumbs up, as he smiled from behind the window. The curtain closed, hiding the dark connection. The unsuspecting Prime Minister pulled the latest Arnouville Gazette from its customary pouch on the Limo. Within seconds, he could feel the motorcade leaving the palace, the police sirens beginning to wail the moment they left the palace.   
  
A few minutes later, the limousine and its police motorcade arrived in front of Arnouville's shuttleport. From there, the Prime Minister would take his customary shuttle to the passenger liner that went to his planet. As the door opened, the Prime Minister could hear a small beep that continued every few seconds. He looked around the car, trying to find what the beeps were. He found that the beeps were actually coming from his suitcase. It was strange, as he didn't carry any electronic equipement with him. He opened his suitcase, thinking he had probably accidentally taken something that wasn't his. As he opened the suitcase, he muttered with horror. It was a countdown, one second was left. The next, a massive explosion ripped through the limousine, sending the limousine flying up and crashing upon one of the police cars in the back. The limousine driver that had opened the door was dead instantly, same with the Prime Minister.   
  
  
  


  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	18. Chapter 17

_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 16 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 17  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

Legionnaire G-7, stationed at the proximity of Arnouville, were on the prowl this evening. Ordered to stay low, and ensure that no civilian casualties were to be affectuated on this critical mission, they were doing this mission with no weapons. For legionnaire G-7, the entire mission signalled the end of their lying down low, waiting for other legionnaires to get into position and gather enough information necessary for the mission which they were to embark upon. Cardassia Prime had confirmed that the mission was still on, and once the security codes were authenticated by the legionnaire corps commander, it was determined the time zone differences in which this mission would have to be accomplished. They had a time-difference window of only two minutes, fifteen seconds, and thirty two milliseconds. If they missed this window, the mission would have to be aborted and Cardassia Command contacted with news of why the mission went wrong. Legionnaire G-7 were going to accomplish this mission with no weapons, and blind. No special gear, aside from that which was standard issue on their uniform.   
  
00:25 hours, Legionnaire G-7 knew that in about fifteen minutes, there would be a change in guards which would allow for a window of approximately five minutes in which the building was left virtually undefended in the areas which the legionnaires were planning to target. The silent shuttlecraft flew over the S.P.N.N. Arnouville building as the legionnaires jumped the fifteen meters down to the roof of the building. They broke up and ran towards the corners of the building, using the gutter accesses to add a hook that was enough to hold them, as they jumped down. The S.P.N.N. Arnouville building was luckily one of those buildings which didn't have windows all around it, which allowed for the legionnaires to use the building to their full advantage. 00:27 hours, the door to the roof opened, with the Segan marine inspecting the roof to make sure there were no intruders. The marine always did a half-hearted observation, and a minute later he closed the door.   
  
The legionnaire corps leader, dangling from his cord on one of the corners of the building activated his silent communications system. He checked to make sure he had a connection to the hover shuttle pilot in the event they had to make a hasty retreat, as well as to each of his soldiers. No special equipement was allowed on this mission, so this would be the last time he had a chance to trully speak to his crew. Everything else would be done by hand signals. Lieutenant Xin-Chu Chang, was of human Chinese descent. His parents had migrated to the Segan Monarchy in the hopes of creating a market for Chinese antiquities. They had succeeded in the business, having made friends in the royal family. Chang was a trully remarkable martials arts fighter, a fact which Maitre Wolf was well aware of. When the legionnaires were formed, he offered the Lieutenant a recommendation so that he could train in this elite fighting force. Chang too, had succeeded in a Monarchy, which now needed him.   
  
"All righty, listen up fellas," Chang looked at the person dangling further down the line from him, "In 15 seconds, we're going on. Set your watches, you follow my lead. All teams, remember your training, remember your mission, and remember we do not leave our people behind. That's All, Chang out."   
  
The legionnaire corps leader counted down, when the fifteen seconds were up, he and his assistant climbed up the wall again. They jumped onto the roof, as the other teams slid down the corner of the building. As the legionnaire corps commander reached the door of the top of the S.P.N.N. skyscraper, Chang applied a well positioned kick which sent the old style door crashing. Chang and his assistant walked down the stairs, and looked around the hallway. Everything was organized the way it was supposed to be. The legionnaire walked down the corridor, freezing the moment they heard the slightest sound. Someone was coming, Chang pointed up as the two used their focus to skip extremely high, as they barely hanged on on the roof of the corridor. The loud guard passed them, as Chang and his assistant came down from the roof, their feet making no sound as they landed. They were a few meters from their target, the central transmission module. They began jogging towards their target. They were in the center of the room. As Chang's assistant applied the ionizing charge, designed to destroy every connection point within the transmission module, Chang kept a lookout. They were right on schedule. Chang looked at his watched, as his assistant joined him.   
  
"Everybody, move out," Chang closed the communication and walked out of the room, raising his fist and slamming it on the guard that was walking towards them. The guard was instantly knocked out of action, without uttering a noise.   
  
  
00:40 hours. Chang and his eight other operatives jumped onto the hover shuttle that was dangling over the S.P.N.N-Arnouville station. The shuttlecraft sped away, not detected by any detection grid on the planet. By 00:41 hours, legionnaire G-7 joining with 99 other teams had succeeded in their task. S.P.N.N. had been taken out of action, all S.P.N.N. stations had stopped transmitting in the middle of the night, and the transmission towers were so badly damaged it would take at least a few months to get all the parts replaced. Because S.P.N.N. had such a massive network, the increase in demand couldn't be compensated by the limited immediately available supply. S.P.N.N, the government's voice, was taken out of action by an unknown organization. In fact, it had been taken out by the Cardassian Monarchy's super-elite organization, the Legionnaires.   
  


- - - - - - -   


  
"I swear, a month of searching and all we've found are micro-particles of debris from a battle no one even remembers," The Chief Science Officer of the S.W.D. Bastion muttered, looking wearing through the sensor scopes, "And for what? All for a fleet which is designed to be hard to detect, and might not even be around here in the first place!"   
  
"Well, you can then have the satisfaction of knowing that you are the single scientist whose explored this part of the galaxy with such fine details," The Chief Operations Manager, who was working by the Science Officer's side replied, as he adjusted his own sensor scopes to pick up biological matter.   
  
"Oh why thank you," The scientist took his eyes off his scope for a little while to stare at the Operations Manager, "I am so pleased that the Chief Operations Manager of the Bastion has decided that I am worthy of having a satisfaction for knowing more about this unpopulated, unimportant section of this galaxy."   
  
"Who said it was unpopulated?" The Operations Manager snickered, "Are you saying the entire crew of the Bastion doesn't exist? Are you suggesting that all our religious beliefs mean nothing? That we're are all just a bunch of nothings?"   
  
"I don't know about the rest of the crew, bastard," He paused a moment, "But you certainly are worthless, in fact what have you done for me lately? I'm stuck here for weeks on hand talking to your lousy mouth, while I can't find this stupid Ghost Fleet!" The Scientist glanced over, as he heard the door woosh open.   
  
"Captain on Deck," The Chief Operations shouted as he stood up, to attention, promptly followed by the Chief of Science.   
  
"At ease, gentlemen," Captain Desmond replied as he saluted them both,"I just got off the Comms with the Triumph, I gave them a report nothing yet... How are we doing down here anyway?"   
  
"Well, we're combing for a needle in a haystack, quite literally," The Chief Science Officer replied, " The Lieutenant Commander here is looking for traces of biological matter, maybe we can use the bio-metallical hull to our advantage here."   
  
"Very good," Captain Desmond nodded, looking at the readouts, "Have you tried sending a phase variance pulse, perhaps we might get a ping out of the computer systems from a Ghost Fleet vessel if it's in the vicinity."   
  
"No, I haven't," The Chief Science Officer looked at the Captain peculiarly," Why would a phase variance pulse create a ping out of the computer systems, Captain?"   
  
"Well," Captain Desmond moved one of his fingers to his mouth, "All Ghost Fleet vessels are uniquely connected to one another. The computers can be booted with a remote phase variance pulse, which our ship can automatically track for frequency. That pulse will search a space the shape of sphere for approximately one parsec and will force that remote computer to activate at least its passive communications systems. The remote computer should theoretically ping back with a frequency only Ghost Fleet vessels are aware of."  
  
"How the hell do you know that will work, Captain?" The Chief of Operations glanced over, looking at the Captain peculiarly as if he had become something more than just a clueless Captain.   
  
"I read the ship's specifications, from page one to one thousand thirty six," The Captain smiled and wink, "Chief, activate the pulse."  
  
"Stand by, I'm setting up the system," The Chief Operations Officer modulated the sensor dish to accomplish the task, within seconds the ship was sending a low level passive phase variance pulse."   
  
"Hold on," The Chief Science Officer glanced over his computer, "I'm detecting... a ping, and it's not coming from us."   


  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	19. Chapter 18

_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 17 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 18  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

"CONN, Science," Captain Desmond shouted through the intercom, "We've got a ping on a low-band frequency of three hundred gigahertz coming in, have the crew get ready to break communications silence."   
  
"Science, CONN," Captain Desmond's executive officer replied, looking over the communications officer's, "Affirmative, is the ping worth anything?"   
  
"CONN, Science, You could say that, XO," Captain Desmond replied, nodding to his Chief Operations Manager and Chief Science Officer, "The Chief OPS and Chief SCI are on their way up with me, we'll brief you the moment we're on the CONN."   
  
"Affirmative, XO Out," The Executive Officer answered, turning his head back to the tasks at hand.   
  
Captain Desmond stood from one of the workstations' chair in the Science lab and awaited while the two other officers rose as well. The science lab was located on the same deck as Stellar Cartography. Deck 2 was primarily located to Stellar Cartography, the science lab so small it seemed as thought it had been there just to serve the purpose of filling up an odd-shaped space that couldn't be used by anything else. The S.W.D. Bastion was a warship, after all, a heavy destroyer belonging to the Clarel Class. She had 15 decks, and didn't have any of the bells and whistles of most explorer type vessels. What she did have, was a completely new hull design which allowed for greater flexibility coupled with additional maneuvering capabilities, and enough space to pack a diverse suite of advanced weapons. She was a small vessel in comparison to the previous generation of Segan destroyers, but she easily matched their fighting capabilities. They just required a much more skilled hand to drive them.   
  
Captain Desmond and his two best senior officers for these types of missions walked down the hallway that led directly to the turbolift. They walked with a sense of purpose as they headed towards the CONN. Captain Desmond entered first, calling for the CONN to the turbolift, as his two senior officers joined him on either side. With its orders recognized, the turbolift doors wooshed closed as the turbolift motor activated to send them one deck up. Captain Desmond kept calm, though he was quite excited at the prospect that he may just find the fleet which he had been searching for so hardeously. They had combed since they had arrived a month ago, day after day, hunting for a fleet which could be anywhere at any place. What the ping had given him, was a sense of hope that maybe this entire search wasn't for nothing. A silly ping had arrived to do that, he thought, as the turbolift grined to a stop.   
  
The turbolift doors opened as the Captain stepped out, "Captain on Deck," The Executive officer shouted as the crew stood from their seats and saluted Captain Desmond.   
  
"At ease," Captain Desmond replied, stepping off from the turbolift and walking straight towards his Executive Officer, as the Chief Science Officer followed.   
  
The Chief Operations Manager assumed his seat on the CONN, "Reading no enemy vessels anywhere in the area, Captain."   
  
"Affirmative, nothing on either the passive combat sensors or the active combat sensors," The Chief Tactical Officer added, staring at the sensors. "The nearest enemy vessels were the two Mary-Rosbourg class destroyers back several light years back, and they didn't detect us."   
  
"Understood," Captain Desmond glanced over to his Executive Officer, "The ping we're getting might be a sign that we activated a Clarel Class Heavy Destroyer computer module, and that the ping is its attempt to get networked with other active Clarel Class Heavy Destroyer computer modules."   
  
"I see," The Executive Officer realized the importance of the ping as he reanalyzed his reading of the Clarel Class Heavy Destroyer technical readouts, "Yes, I understand it."   
  
"Right," Captain Desmond looked at his XO, "So it's agreed, we'll go find what this ping is?"   
  
"Agreed," The Executive Officer turned to the Chief Science Officer, "Trace the ping, and get us some coordinates to follow. Helm, stand by to engage at warp speeds."   
  
"Sound General Quarters, #1, we better be ready for this possibly being a trap," Captain Desmond turned to his Chief of Ops, "Activate Damage Control Ops just in case."   
  
The Executive Officer tapped the intercom link opened, "General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands man your battlestations! General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands man your battlestations!"   
  
"Location identified, Commander," The Chief Science Officer glanced over his readout, "Confirmed, bearing 132 mark 04."   
  
"At maximum warp, we'll be there in about thirty minutes, Captain," The navigations officer replied, plotting in the best course using warp.   
  
"Confirmed, maximum warp," Captain Desmond replied, engage at your will."   
  
The warp engines of the S.W.D. Bastion engaged easily as the vessel was propelled forward at faster than light speeds. The ship now crossed easily stars after stars, as the crew of the S.W.D. Bastion prepared themselves either for an awaited discovery of the Ghost Fleet, or a trap. They were steering, and heading at light speeds towards coordinates one-three-two mark zero-four. The coordinates led directly to the second planet of the Froidian star system, and system which was reputable for its fairly weak star. Only three planets orbited this star system, and because of their relative distance from the star, the Froidian star system was always passed as a potential location for Segan colonization. The Froidian star system, however, was strategically located near the Segan star system, former capital star system of the Segan Monarchy before it was ravaged by the Styx. It would take thirty minutes for the vessel to reach its destination. Thirty minutes to determine whether what they were hoping to be a friendly ping, indeed was.   
  


- - - - - -   
  


The S.W.D. Bastion slowed from its fast warp run, the warp engines whining as they were forced to be replaced by the more bulky impulse engines. The Bastion seemed to blend in with the stars, as its dark coat of pain barely lighted up the star system. Its guns on either side of its wings were fully armed and ready to shoot on sight. It's forward tip ready to fire off a potent volley of the Larisa phaser gun should there be a need for it. Only the white lights of the Clarel Class Destroyer's impulse engines could be readily discerned from the vessel that entered the Froidian star system slowly. It was in search of the ping which it had heard barely an hour before, hoping she would find her sister ships. The Bastion's crew too were equally hopeful they would discover the Ghost Fleet, for the more time the Monarchy was given, the more time it could mass up on needed troops to counter the Ghost Fleet.   
  
The S.W.D. Bastion flew past an asteroid belt, its shields easily countering the small rocks that it upon it. The S.W.D. Bastion seemed to create a linear carving along the asteroid belt, but the moment it passed through, the asteroid belt returned to the shape it had always held and always would held if it weren't disturbed from its natural paths. The Bastion's impulse engines whine loudly, sound like a chorus approaching the highest pitched note on the musical scales. The Bastion was approaching Froidian II, the estimated time to arrival was approximately one minute and twenty five seconds. Inside the crew were busy scanning for enemy targets, as they watched the almost pure white planet appear in front of their main viewscreen. Inside the CONN, the officers were finishing their sensor scans, the Captain too was increasingly excited.   
  
"Assume an asynchronous orbit on the southern pole of the planet, Navigations," The Captain ordered, as the Science Officer showed him the data reports of this planet, "What have you find, SCI?"   
  
"Well, Captain this is one freezing hell-hole. The average temperatures of this planet range between negative twenty degrees celsius in the summers, and negative forty degrees celsius in the winters. No wonder the place can't grow life, however, the planet is an M-class planet, with high mineral contents. In fact, it could be a gold-mine, if anyone could just find a way to thaw all of the ice and snow that's down there," The Chief Science Officer dictacted, adding his own editorials here and there to enhance his report.   
  
"Tactical, any sign of anything moving down there, any vessels, anything?" The Executive Officer asked, as he looked over the Chief Operations Manager's reading, "Well the ping definetely came from here."   
  
"Not reading any vessels, friendly or otherwise, Commander," The Tactical Officer noted, "In fact, I don't think I'm reading any signs of advanced life down on the planet, aside from the usual bacteria and the such."   
  
"All right, OPS, SCI," Captain Desmond shouted, "Get two more Science specialists, and one security officer. Let's have a look and see what's down there. We're taking a shuttle down, I don't trust the transporters with that atmospheric make-up."   
  
Minutes later, launching from the back of the Clarel Class Destroyer. A small support craft launched towards the planet. It looked as thought it was a futuristic, and fashionable plan. But in fact, it was designed for hard atmospheric landings. Its pointed nose, and its stabilizer that stuck out in the back were designed to follow the air flows during a landing. Its hull was specially designed, slightly heavier but much stronger than the bio-metallic hulls of the Clarel Class destroyer. It was prepared for the mission that laid ahead. The shuttle began to dissapear into the white planet. As it entered the frigid atmosphere, its entry forced massive heat to be displaced. It had become a massive controlled fireball as it headed down towards its destination.   
  
"Damn, we've under calculate that storm front, we're heading straight for its outer ring, and we don't have enough maneuvering power to get us away from it," The Chief Operations officer shouted, as he grabbed the consoles, "It's an F-7 storm. ETA ... 30 seconds!"   
  
"Cut power to secondary dampeners, divert emergency power to the shield generators," The Captain ordered, as the Science officer checked the storm that was about to hit them.   
  
"It's a thunderstorm, a damn powerful one, it might pack just enough strength to bring us down if we're not careful, Captain, "The Science Officer glanced over, "It's about to hit us."   
  
"Direct hit!" The Chief Operations Officer shouted as the shuttlecraft shook hard to the right, "Those lightning bolts pack quite some power."   
  
"ETA to landing is approximately 3 minutes and twenty five seconds, "The Captain shouted as he took the navigations control, "I'm reading a power overload in the navigational matrix."   
  
"Confirmed, we've lost one of your engines, Captain," The Chief of Ops shouted, as the shuttle began to go into a spin, "Damn, I'm going  
to have to do some manual repairing. You take over."   
  
"I'll try and hold on as best as I can, but we're going way to fast for our descent," Desmond diverted power quickly from the auxiliary power generators, trying to kickstart the second engine," We're going to hit the deck hard, everyone grab a seat, and brace for impact!"   
  
"Sending out the mayday, Captain," The Science Officer chimed in, as he grabbed his console hard, "Mayday, Mayday, S.W.D. Bastion, we're going down, Mayday, Mayday, S.W.D. Bastion, we're going down."   
  
The shuttlecraft, with one of its engines leaving a trail of smoke behind, continued its steep descent. The shuttlecraft, unable to stop was fast approaching the snowy ground. There was little place that was suitable for a landing to begin, and now the shuttlecraft was speeding down towards this planet of hard rock, ice and snow. The shuttlecraft finally made it's landing, crashing onto the planet. Its weight forced the ground to give way, exploading as the shuttlecraft crashed further down the planet. Its shields failed, as it crashed on much harder ground, Its hull was dented in many places but it held. The smoke and debris from the pieces of the shuttle that had been broken off such as its stabilizing tip laid in front of the shuttle. Inside, however, everyone was safe and sound.   
  
"Uhhh," The Captain groaned, as he lifted himself off from the console, a little bit of blue blood running down the side of his face, "Everyone okay?"   
  
"Yes, Captain," The Science Officer cleared his console away from some of the debris, "Sensors are still working... We're in some kind of a cave."   
  
"Communications are okay, though the shuttle's pretty beat up," The Ops officer looked at the three other away team members, "Requesting an EVAC team to assist us."   
  
"Captain..."The Science Officer looked at the Captain, "This cave is over 2 billion square meters! And you won't believe this."   
  
The Captain turned to the Science Officer, "What?"   
  
"It's housing all 4000 Clarel Class Heavy Destroyers."   


  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	20. Chapter 19

_Note: Prologue + Chapters 1 through 18 Available through Request.   
_  


_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 19   
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

Alexander had recieved from his father an ultimatum to return home within a week. He had stayed at the Gork IX detention camp longer than he had planned because of his new care. Alexander hadn't slept on his bed for a while, and had refused taking another room. He also had refused to take his guards' room, and despite his care's incessant attempts at proposing that he sleep on the sofa and Alexander sleep on the bed, he had managed to keep both his guards sleeping on their originally intended bed and him on the sofa. He was a stubborn person in many respects, but he had chosen to take Gerard under his care and he would make sure that that care was not comparable. One of the doctors assigned to royal guests had constantly watched over Gerard, checking him for any permanent physical damage. What Alexander had seen that first day wasn't comparable to the sort of medical care that he needed. He was a bad case of over exertion and his wounds on his back had yet to be fully repaired.   
  
Alexander's father had tried to block him every step of the way, but thankfully he was kind hearted and strong of will and mind. Alexander had refused his father's attempts to block the application of treatement, though the Doctors were forbidden from using any sort of advanced medical equipement or healing touches as those could only legally be used at hospitals. His father had warned him that if Gerard were to leave the detention camp, his father would have to arrest Gerard. Alexander was bitter, he could have returned to his new home already, but instead he was here with Gerard, taking care to make sure he recovered properly and as quickly as possible. He hadn't determined what he had planned to do with Gerard yet, it was impossible for him to leave him behind in this Gorkan detention camp. The moment he left, the abuse would recommence, and probably with more bitterness than ever before.   
  
Alexander decided it was time to check the wounds of Gerard again. He stood up from the sofa, watching over the sleeping victim as he pulled the covers away from him. He finally could sleep with the covers on without it forcing too much pain, but the bruises which were left behind on some of the wounds had made matters a bit more time consuming. Alexander watched the bruises and the clotting lash marks, touching them to make sure they were doing all right. He was healing quickly enough, he thought, and hopefully within several days, Alexander could perhaps take Gerard in as a servant. Alexander smiled, he would enjoy having him as his servant, he seemed so heart warming, and he had come to learn so much about what the palace life was like before his father had come to the Arnouville Palace. In fact, it seemed as though the Arnouville Palace had perhaps changed hands and servants, but it had kept its life, its traditions.   
  
Alexander, leaned his head close to Gerard, resting his ear on the wounds. He listened quietly to his smooth breathing, and his steady beating of the heart. He continued his meticulous observation looking at the curvature of his body, watching the side of his stomach, the firmness of his thighs. He was caught slightly unaware when Gerard awoke, his eyes opening and seeing Alexander looking over him. He shook slightly, smiling, he wasn't afraid of Alexander and was quite flattered by this serious, and intense observation of his own body. Youri hadn't felt such an attraction before, and Alexander's consequent blushing and moving away made the situation even more flattering. He, Gerard, attempted to calm Alexander down, to confirm to him that he was neither repulsed nor worried about what Alexander had done. It took a bit of time for Alexander to calm down, but the time was worth it, Gerard was certain now that he, Alexander was the true thing.   
  
"Your Majesty," Gerard asked meekly, after Alexander's face had returned to its original tint.   
  
"Gerard, call me Alexander, or Alex," Alexander looked at Gerard, "People whom I really really like call me Alex."   
  
"And I am a person you really really like?" Gerard watched Alexander, his head leaning on the left side of his shoulder.   
  
"Hmmhmm," Alexander smiled, "What can I do for you?"   
  
"Your Majesty," Gerard spoke again, "I thank you so much for your kind generosity, for saving my life when none others would, I thank you so much for everything you've done. But I am not at peace."   
  
Alexander looked at Gerard confused, "But you're safe now, how can you not be at peace?"   
  
"I am never at peace," Gerard paused as he said very quietly, "Unless I dance."   
  
"You're a dancer?" Alexander looked at Gerard's body, he indeed have all the requirements for it, except he couldn't see how a palace servant could possibly find enough time in his day to dance. Keeping the Crown and Crown's children served required the entire servant staff being available twenty four hours per day.   
  
"Yes," Gerard blushed, "Quite good in fact, I've danced ever since I was a baby."   
  
"Well, I want you happy," Alexander watched Gerard, confirming that was what his heart wanted, "As the 2nd in line to the Segan Throne, I command you to dance."   
  
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Gerard looked at Alexander, "If you wish, you could watch me practice my dance routines."   
  
"It's not like I wasn't going to," Alexander winked, as he turned his head to the door of his guards, "Rich, can you get our motorcade ready, we're taking Gerard to the best dance studio on Gork."   
  
"Aye, your majesty," A voice from inside the other room shouted.   
  
It took Alexander and Youri several hours to get all of the equopement which "Gerard" needed to do his dance. Alexander learned Youri was well versed in all the classical forms of Terran and Segan dance styles, as well as several of his own. Alexander only knew one which he was somewhat good in, and that was salsa. Gerard promised him that at the end of his routine, Alexander and him could have a dance if he so wished. The Royal Dance Studio in Hoelaartat was the chosen studio by the guards, and while it wasn't as nice as the one at the Palais d'Arnouville it would do. Youri allowed Alexander to choose musical pieces, a job which pleased the 18 year old Prince very much. The first piece which Alexander had chosen was a simple techno turn.   
  
Youri in turn danced a simple routine to warm himself up, he couldn't dance with his shirt on as the injuries on his back were so complete. While Techno was a Terran style of music, which normally would feature a fairly simple dance routine, Youri decided to add a little spice by adding a nouveau Segan dance. His elbows were forced to move in a sort of wave, as his arms move up to above his head. His left leg curled around as he turned into his own spin. His entire body girated, following the groove of the beat as a natural smile finally appeared on his face. From the other side of the room, watching the expert dancer, Alexander was both impressed and awed. Gerard made him act as if he wasn't a member of the royal family, as if just being a member of the royal family didn't matter. Gerard's smile was natural, so majestic that it made Alexander feel as though Gerard was one of him, as royal as him, if not more. He was slowly falling for him. His own mind danced around his emotions, twisting them and expanding them as he began to day dream about Gerard.   
  
Youri, finished his dance routine, as he danced over to the unsuspecting Gerard. He extanded his hand to Gerard, who got up from the dance floor. Youri's soft hands touched Alexander's inward curves between his stomach and his hips, making Alexander step slightly closer to him. Youri smiled, watching Alexander's icy blue eyes as they looked back at him focused on the task. Youri and Alexander danced around the dance floor, following a simple waltz routine. They took turns leading each other, as their hands touched each other's warm bodies. They looked into each other's eyes, as their eyes did the speaking for them. Their lips remained seal during the entire dance routin. Even as the song finished, they continued dancing, unwilling to stop even if life depended on it. Alexander looked over his "Gerard" leaning for what he had always wanted, his lips met with Gerard's, as they expressed each other's attractions no other way they could. They had found each other, and they couldn't leave each other, Alexander's lips parted from Gerard's, he was in all excitement.   
  
"Do you love me, Gerard?" Alexander looked at Gerard, "Do you?!?"   
  
"Yes, I do," Gerard replied, his eyes looking down at the floor.   
  
"I love you, I love you as well!" Alexander kissed Gerard on the cheek, "And I'll never let you go, when I go back, you're coming with me! You are!"   
  


- - - - - -   
  


"The Styx Consortium disagrees with your decisions, and they disagree with them for the last time," The Styx Arch-Achroid's voice whispered into Vladimir's ear, "The Syndicate and the Consortium have agreed that this alliance and that the Segan Monarchy will now be directly controlled by the Styx."   
  
"You are the ones who killed the Prime Minister," Vladimir shouted bitterly, "We had an agreement, and you broke it! I want you all out of the Monarchy, I will no longer take orders from the Styx. I am ---"   
  
"What you are," The Styx Arch-Achroid's eyes turned to a fierce red, "What you are is a servant of the Styx, and what your people are, are puppets of our government, we will do was we wish here."   
  
"I want you all out!" Vladimir walked over, pointing to the padd which sealed the agreement between the Segan Popular Union and the Arch-Achroid, "This is finished, I will have no more with this." He threw the padd towards the wall, as it exploaded on contact.   
  
"You dare to order the Styx Syndicate?!? The Styx Consortium?!?" The Styx Arch-Achroid began to enter Vladimir's mind, "You will now see our true powers, you are finished."   
  
Vladimir could feel the Styx Arch-Achroid's powerrful entrance into his mind as it forced great pain to go through him. He screamed as he began to feel the presence of the Arch-Achroid, as the Arch-Achroid dwelled into the forbidden areas of his mind. He could feel his individuality getting ripped out, as his eyes were filled with blue blood. Vladimir's entire body was frozen stiff, paralyzed, unable to feel anything. He could no longer move, his screams had become subdued murmurs as the Styx Arch-Achroid completed his evil schemes. He had entered Vladimir's mind before, had controlled his movements, but he had never gone as deep as this. Vladimir had been turned into a drone, it followed only the orders of the Arch-Achroid mind. The Arch-Achroid quickly cleaned Vladimir's face of blood, as the guards ran in. The Arch-Achroid couldn't be seen by these guards.   
  
"Are you all right, your Majesty?" One of the Royal guards asked.   
  
"I am," The Arch-Achroid replied, in Vladimir's voice, "Will you have the entire Joint Chiefs of Staffs in my office within ten minutes. We have important business to discuss."   
  


- - - - -   
10 Minutes Later   
- - - - -   
  


"I am glad you are all present," The Arch-Achroid who still mind-controlled Vladimir stated, "Gentlemen of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs, I wish to announce that twenty five hundred vessels of our allies will be arriving within a few days. They will stage themselves at the Segan transwarp rift, in order to jump over to the Delta Quadrant. Together with our own fleets, I wish for us to coordinate an attack on our largest enemy."   
  
"The Federation?" One of the Admirals asked, looking at Vladimir unbelievably, "They're Starfleet is much bigger than that!"   
  
"You fool!" Vladimir replied, "The Cardassian Monarchy is our greatest enemy. We need to coordinate quick and effective action to destroy Cardassia Prime and all Cardassian people."   
  
"Statistics show they have a fleet of some 750 vessels," Another Admiral chimed in," With your allies' 2500 vessels, and if we deploy all our 2000 ships. We might be able to take the Cardassian Monarchy in a head on conflict."   
  
"Indeed," Vladimir turned to his Chiefs of Staffs, "I want this deployment to be as quiet as possible. With the S.P.N.N. sabotage, we know what these people are capable of. I also want war plans on my desk within a week. Understood?"   
  
"Yes your Majesty," The Joint Chiefs replied together.   
  
"Dismissed," Vladimir turned and looked at the window, "I will pray in the name of the Quadaz for our success."   
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	21. Chapter 20

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 20   
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
Additional Writing Credits to Space Marshall Nelson.  
  
_

  


Aboard the Supreme Militants' Union's task force command vessels, patience was wearing thin. It had been almost a month since they had agreed to assist the Cardassian Monarchy in the massive search for the Ghost Fleet. Neither the Cardassian Monarchy, nor the Supreme Militants' Union realized that the Ghost Fleet with its anti-sensor detection qualities would be so easily and effectively hidden from a fleet of vessels scanning wildly across space. Expanding from the Ghost Fleet ship yards in an expanding arc that encompassed light years of search patterns, the Supreme Militants' Unions actions were not producing the wanted effects. They hadn't found a single trace of neither the Ghost Fleet nor its personnel, the search for the nail under the millions of sacks of hays was fruitless. They had expected some difficulties in finding the Ghost Fleet, for it was designed to be hard to find, but they hadn't expected that after a month of tireless scanning they would be no further than when they had left off.   
  
Space Marshall Nelson, the man whom the I.A.P. branded a traitor and a coward, now sat in the chair of his flagship a bit impatient. He had in good faith offered to help the Cardassian Monarchy find their much needed Ghost Fleet, but his actions were doing absolutely nothing to change the course of history. The Cardassians, and the freed up forces of the Supreme Militants' Union were keeping the Segan Monarchy occupied in the Special Administration Zone in the Delta Quadrant, but they couldn't keep the Monarchy occupied forever. What made the situation worse was that the Parthians were deciding it was now time to play ball, after having kept in isolation for the better part of the latter half of the year. He stood up from his chair as he walked over to Lieutenant Defont, a Segan who had decided to join him when the Strategic Readiness Agency planned and completed their seperation from the I.A.P. Lieutenant Defont, like always was staring across his Operations panel, watching over the endless reports from the ships of the fleet.   
  
"Is the fleet reporting anything new, Lieutenant?" The Space Marshall asked as he resumed his pacing back to his chair, he was eager to explore a new patch of space.   
  
"Only about half of our vessels have reported in, with their search patterns, still nothing on long range sensors, or short range sensors on any spectral scan," Defont replied, a bit exhasperated.   
  
The Space Marshall out of sheer frusteration slammed his console, "We've been out here for over a month... and nothing? I'm surprised our temporal shift and cloak have lasted this long!" The Space Marshall turned to a petty officer who had just walked onto the bridge, "You, get me an Andorian tea."   
  
The petty officer quickly nodded, saluting as he ran to follow the Space Marshall's orders, Defont having yet answered the Space Marshall's rhetorical question turned to meet the Space Marshall's gaze, "Negative, we've steadily expanded our search scan from the coordinates Maitre Wolf gave us pertaining to the location of the main Ghost Fleet shipyards, and nothing yet."   
  
The Space Marshall didn't answer as Defont turned back to his console, for once his console pressed him of new information, "Sir, we're recieving some sort of low band communication, coming from what seems to be a Segan vessel."   
  
"On Screen," came the overpowering voice of the Space Marshall.   
  
"Aye, Sir," Defont tapped his console activating the communications sub-protocols as Nelson recieved his Andorian tea, sipping it, eagerly awaiting Defont's transfer of the communication to the screen.   
  
"S.M.S. Triumph, this is S.R.D. Bastion, reporting in from coordinates bearing 249 mark 88. We've sent an away team to an ice-world planet and we have some good news," Cmdr. Utrivol explained to the Triumph's Commanding Officer.   
  
"Yes, Commander, what is it?" Nelson replied, as Defont adjusted the frequency to add an additional layer of redundancy to strengthen the signal strength.   
  
"We've lost one of our support crafts, there was a particularly bad storm system. It seems our away team is all right. They report they've fallen into a massive cave system, which we believe is housing all 4000 Clarel Class Heavy Destroyers of the Ghost Fleet," Cmdr. Utrivol eagerly awaited the Space Marshall's response to this wonderful news.   
  
The Space Marshall laughed, "That is excellent, Commander!"   
  
"We thought so," Utrivol smiled, seeing Nelson laughing,"The ships are all intact, it's a wonder how anyone could have gotten the ships in there sir."   
  
"We should have been looking planetside," The Marshall mumbled, still stuck digesting the good news, "Not only in space!"   
  
"No matter, Commander," Nelson added, "We will see if we can find your battleships. I want you to send the sensor readings that prompted you to send an Away Team to the planet.   
  
Utrivol's face turned off the screen, "Transmit our mision data to the Triumph, Ops,"   
  
Utrivol's face turned serious despite the good mood that permeated the transmission, "There is also the matter of the ships' crews, we couldn't find a single trace of any personnel."   
  
"Perhaps they are at another local," The Space Marshall deducted based on the information available to him.   
  
"Aye Sir," Utrivol replied, "We definetely hope so. We don't think they'd have survived on this planet anyway. It's too damn cold down here!"   
  
"Well, keep Secretary Williamson updated," Nelson instructed to the Bastion as he looked over the Secretary's console, "We will continue on course but will send some of our ships to aid you. They will be there within the hour."   
  
As Secretary Williamson recieved Nelson's instructions to dispatch the Iron Fist and the Pandora's Box, Utrivol began to finish the conversation, "Aye, Space Marshall. We'll eagerly wait for some people to talk and work with. It's been a lonely few months."   
  
Nelson turned to Utrivol one last time, "I know what you mean, Commander. Great work, and good luck. Nelson OUT."   
  
Defont immediately began to stare at the Bastion transmission of their mission data, unbelieving of the ingenuity undertaken to get a communications ping out of the Clarel Class Heavy Destroyers, "Wow, whoever is aboard their ship knows the Clarel Class Destroyer inside and out. The question is, Space Marshall, whether the Selevenar Class Battleship operates with the same computer system."   
  
"We can only hope so Lieutenant," Nelson stood up, applying his own version of the Picard maneuver as he turned to his Chief of Operations, "I want our passive sensors to scan for the same frequency. Report any systems with anything CLOSE to that frequency."   
  
"Aye, Sir" Defont adjusted his sensor controls to emit a low-level forced ping on the same frequencies, keeping all passive sensors searching for a replying ping.   
  
Williamson, always the eager tapped a report to all the S.M.U. Task Force's lead vessels, "I'll instruct our ships to do the same and send out pings across the sector. It should help make our job easier and more widespread."   
  
"Aye, good thinking Williamson," The Space Marshall fixed his uniformed, as he slicked back his salt and pepper hair, "I want all fighters on alert."   
  
Defont adjusted the volume controls, in case the sensors pick it up but don't identify the noise co-varience as an actual ping, "Still nothing on sensors, Space Marshall."   
  
"Nothing... uh," The Space Marshall calculated his tactical risks, "Perhaps a more aggressive sensor scan is necessary."   
  
"Aye, activating main sensor dish and sending a high-band ping," Defont in tune with his plan adjusted the main deflector dish, modulating it to send a ping of steadily increasing amplitude.   
  
"Any response, Secretary Williamson?" Nelson asked, getting more impatient at the lack of immediate results.   
  
Williamson watched his console, turning to Nelson after reading over the report, "We might."   
  
The Space Marshall walked over, watching Williamson and his console, "What is it?"   
  
"We have something from the Zeus, she's at the outer-ring of our search scan. She's reading a fractal ping, she's not sure it's a replying ping, but it's got some of the characteristics," Williamson looked over to Nelson, thinking he was about to hear Nelson's always correct advice.   
  
"Tell her to investigate, with precaution. We don't want anyone jumping into any traps," Nelson instructed.   
  
"Aye Space Marshall, "Williamson gave the go-ahead with caution to the Zeus, as the Zeus' position marker began to move towards the suspected ping.   
  
Defont turned to Nelson, "I think the Zeus might be picking up the real thing, I'm reading on an extremely low frequency, on our long range sensors some sort of thematic noise."   
  
"ETA to Zeus' position?" The Space Marshall grinned, "I want to be there when we find those damn things."   
  
Williamson calculated the trajectory, "Twenty five minutes away at maximum impulse...3 if we do a maximum warp burst," Williamson smiled.   
  
"Make it so," Nelson walked back towards his chair as he yelled, "Yellow Alert!"   
  
Defont tapped into helm controls as he activated maximum warp.   
  
As Nelson sat on his commander chair, he commented, "Hang on to your butts! Williamson, any vessels in the area?"   
  
Williamson looked at Nelson, "The Segan patrol will be going fairly close to where we're scanning... They'll arrive in range within 25 minutes, staying for only about 3 minutes according to S.M.U. Intell."   
  
"Damn them," Nelson tapped his console, "We need a diversion to send them away."  
  
"Why not just destroy them, Space Marshall? The Segan patrols have been fairly thin since the Delta Quadrant incident," Defont suggested.   
  
Nelson snapped back quickly against the suggestion, "No, no casualties, you hear! Enough death is happening in the Delta Quadrant for the entire galaxy!"   
  
Williamson put forth his suggestion, "Maybe we could have our ships set up our training equipement for our mock ship engagements away from where we're scanning. That should give some sort of distraction for the Segans to look at."   
  
Nelson pointed to the holographic fleet screen in front of them, "Have the Imperator, from a safe distance, exit and decloak. Make sure the Segans spot it and go after it. The Imperator should be fast enough to outrun them."   
  
"That's an idea too," Williamson stared at the fleet screen as he compiled the Imperator's mission's orders, "I'll explicitly instruct them not to engage the Segans."   
  
As the suggestions were made and Williamson put into action Nelson's plan, Defont pulled the massive S.M.S. Triumph out of warp, "For better or for worse, we're approaching the Zeus. We're definetely detecting a ping, It'll take some time identifying where exactly it's coming from."   
  
"The Zeus' fighters are scanning space to make sure there aren't any time-shifters lurking about," Williamson tapped in the launch orders for the Triumph's own fighter squadrons, "Signalling our fighters to go ahead and scan below."   
  
"Excellent," The Space Marshall clasped his hands together, "Let's work on the problem, people... In the meantime I want a thinktank formed."   
  
"Approaching orbit of Belleh IV," Defont announced as the red planet appeared large on the viewscreen, "The planet's average temperature is 45 degrees Celsius, Space Marshall. The Bastion might have had a ice-cold planet, but we certainly got the scorching desert."   
  
"Well, don't worry, there is enough replicated water for everyone," Nelson laughed as he turned to Williamson, "Williamson, I want you to get the Science and Medical team together, have them figure out where can the personnel of a 5000 starship fleet can be stored."   
  


- - - - - -   
  


"Science and Medical teams are reporting in concerning your request," Williamson replied after the science and medical teams searched aggressively for a few hours, "I've got a list of likely locations where one could potentially store the crew of 5000 starships."   
  
"Put up on the map table," came the simple order.   
  
Williamson tapped the console which activated the sector map of the region. Everything had been located within two sectors of one another, and it was likely the crew were also going to be in the same sector. Only logic dictated it. The console's activation prompted the creation of a localized holographic image, with the potential planets being highlighted with a neon green color. Williamson observed the list ,watching over the scientists' reasons as to why a certain planet should be included in the potential list. Most of the planets in the region were not ideal for supporting any sort of life. The Segan Monarchy had claimed the region a long time ago out of a need to divert attention away from other problems. The dreams of mineral mines had long faded, the environments proved too harsh to do anything of the sort for long periods of time.   
  
"I want you to assign two ships per planet," the Space Marshall smiled, "Have them scan until their damn sensor dish burn out."  
  
"Aye, Sir" William winked politely, as he sent off the new mission operatives to the task force's command vessels, "I'll also send to our shipyards back home to order some replacement sensor dishes."   
  
"Mr. Defont, any luck?" Nelson turned, his attention now focused on the current mission at hand.   
  
"I think we are, we've pin-pointed the ping to be on the North Western continent of this planet. A mountainous island is where the ping is centered at coordinates North by North West 24 by 88 by 09. Our fightercrafts actually can't find a good landing spot, and the mountains are... surprise, surprise... composed of materials which block out our transporter beams. We're modifying our fightercrafts to land on the water, hopefully we'll have an away team on the island within 10 minutes," Defont replied in his usual detailed manner.   
  
"Continue finding of ways to get our transporter beams through the rock," Nelson ordered, "Send our marines, geologists. Also have our Segan envoys come along, I don't want to botch this up."   
  
"You'd prefer the Ambassador, or the Military guy?" Defont asked, with a noticeable drop in professionalism.   
  
"Inform the Ambassador," Nelson smirked, "And send in the "Military" guy."   
  
A youthful smile came over came over his face as Defont tapped the intercom lines open, he sent a text update of the mission to the Ambassador and contacted Military Attache Fst. Lieutenant Denmont, "First Lieutenant Denmont report to Fighterbay 1 for Away Team detail. We may have found the heavy battleship section of the Ghost Fleet."   
  
"Understood," Denmont's voice replied, "On my way."   
  
"Fightercraft modifications should be completed in just a few minutes. We're adding flotation devices to make sure the fighters don't sink," Defont nodded to Nelson.   
  
"They better not sink," Nelson looked at Defont, "The Hokian Republic wouldn't be very happy."   
  
"Fightercrafts on their way, I'm authorizing clearance, "Defont announced, "3 Fightercrafts carrying away teams launching towards the planet," Defont activated various remote video uplinks in order to allow the Triumph to see what was going in within the fightercrafts, "On screen now, sir."   
  
Nelson watched as the fightercrafts cleared the atmosphere, with the lithosphere's mountainous arrangement become large on the screen, "Geez, look at those mountains."   
  
"You'd almost wonder how they good get anything into them," Williamson added, as he thought aloud, watching the prestene landscape.   
  
"Maybe there is some kind of transceiver, for a special type of signal, "Nelson's right hand moved to his chin as he thought slightly, "The whole mountain could open up."   
  
The audio communications line opened as the lead fightercraft sent a subspace message to the Triumph, "Reporting in from the lead fightercraft, the sensors of the fightercraft confirm much of the mountain in front of us is hollow. Estimated cave space easily numbers the required dimensions needed to safely house 1000 Selevenar Class Heavy battleships in there," Lieutenant Denmont reported.   
  
"Okay," Nelson replied, "I want a report from you every 10 minutes, Lieutenant. Leave your video uplink on all the time."   
  
"Affirmative, we're about to land" Denmont replied, as he watched the fightercraft make a safe landing in the water, "We've got a safe landing Triumph. We're going to start and explore this island."   
  
"Roger that," Nelson stood up as he watched the water slowly go down the fightercraft's windows, "Be careful."   
  
Nelson turned to Defont, "I hope those geologists find something."   
  
Defont looked back, "Agreed, Space Marshall," He watched the screen again, "I hope they find it fast, I think we're all impatient to just find something."   
  
For approximately two hours, the three geologist teams that were sent in search of the most powerful Segan battleships ever build had combed the entire island. Braving the hard mountainous terrain, they went up impromptu trails in search for cave openings and anything that could indicate what the ping was. It took long, and several runs across the islands, before diving teams were asked to be sent from the Triumph. There was more wait, as shuttles were now sent down. The diving teams searched as well, until finally there was a breakthrough. Deep under the water, a cavern led straight towards an underground tunnel which was higher than the water levels. It took additional climbing, and more diving teams were sent down to help in the climbing. Within 30 minutes, the diving teams had all made it into the caves. These caves held the contents which they had search for several months... The Selevenar Class Heavy battleships were here, ghostly in appearance and in function as they lied in wait. There massive forward Larisa guns all pointing towards Segania Prime.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	22. Chapter 21

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 21   
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


"Day One Hundred Twenty Two, I can't believe we've been working non-stop on these patients for more than 4 months and nothing's come of age. Joan tells me me not to loose hope as we proceed further and further into this mystery, as we start to unravel more strands of the bigger puzzle. Yet as I stare into each strand, some seem like dead-ends, and others lead into other strands. The pain process of marking and making sure we don't go around and around in circles has been difficult, and sometimes we've failed. I have looked over the files which Joan collected on the brain patterns of all the patients, but while it seems all the neural relays seem to be working, all the relays which lead to consciousness have been severed. But that's not medically possible, according to our medical theories at Starfleet, and then again that's exactly what she and I are seeing right now. For once, I wish I was on the Carpathia, for the medical equipement of the Carpathia would be exactly the sort of equipement that could take care of easing the burden of searching with primitive medical equipement the cause of this bizarre phenomenon," retired Starfleet Captain Jean-Marie Daniels explained in his log, "It is clear to me that the longer we attempt to figure this problem, the more likely our chances of figuring out this problem will be. The patients do not seem to be suffering from any neurological or physical damage from this extanded stage of sleep. If only I could find the reason why they are not plain waking up. Joan has been particularly helpful, I wonder why she hasn't left my side yet, gone off to search for Velvet Dancer, her friend. I am neither worth the effort or the patience, yet she stays by my side, as a faithful confident, friend, and co-worker. Together we will find the cure to this phenomenon, it's now a question of if anymore, it's a question of when. End log."   
  
Jean-Marie Daniels sighed as he rested on his comfortable chair, his body feeling supported by the executive leather chair. Jean-Marie looked down the Sick Bay, seeing row after row of pods that are designed to keep the bodies preserved in their physical state. Jean-Marie had yet to figure out the entire neurological interaction that allowed for them to remain in this form of suspended animation. After having used every adrenaline and anti-anasthetic combination he knew, he had found that the problem lay within the brain. That while it was sending out the command to breath and sustain other life functions, anything that was beyound the duties of self-preservation was just not happening. Jean-Marie looked over the sick bay window, while the abilities of this Sick Bay facility and the 10 others in this complex of starbases and starship fleet yards were amazing and capable to house 1,200,000 patients... the Sick Bay facilities were quite basic, and it had taken the conversion of all the cargo bays to make sure all patients were housed with dignity. Jean-Marie's eyes felt all the sudden heavy with fatigue, as he rubbed his eyes with his hands instinctly. He looked over the console, his eyes giving him blotchy black spots that weren't really there.   
  
"Dooooooctooooor," A voice whispered into his mind, "Do you reaaaliiiize what youuu aarrree dooooing?"   
  
Jean-Marie opened his eyes wide, looking for an intruder, "Someone there?"   
  
"I waaaas, aaaaaammm, and aaalwaaays will be here," The voice echoed deep into the mind of Jean-Marie.  
  
"Who is this?!?!" Jean-Marie stood up and walked out of the Doctor's office looking around for Joan, "**Not** funny Joan!"   
  
"Theee Ghoooost Fleeeet wiiilll deeestroyyy," The voice was more insistant but still felt distant, "Do you reaaaallliiiize what youuu arrree doing?"   
  
"Joan! 'Nuff with the pranks!" Jean-Marie looked around, getting slightly worried, Joan wasn't anywhere to be seen and it wasn't like her to pull a prank like this.   
  
"Staaaarrfleeet willll noooo looongeeer bee dominant if yooouuu finish," The voice sounded like a mixture of screams and blood curdling noises.   
  
"Iffff yooouuu finnnish.... it isss the eeend offf us alll," The voice echoed as it disappeared, "Youuu willll dessstroy what you want toooo saaaaaaaaveeeee."   
  
Jean-Marie was awoken abruptly from his chair as Joan touched his shoulder to wake him up. Jean-Marie jumped, his chair falling as he fell on his back with an audible oomph. He cursed at the chair and at his fortune and then excused himself profusively to his partner in crime. Jean-Marie looked around the room, as he lifted the chair, there was no body present, no one at all. He told Joan of wat he had heard, and asked her if she had heard the same noises, but she heard no noises of her own. Jean-Marie sighed in relief, it was only a dream. Jean-Marie looked at Joan, wondering what brought her down to Sick Bay and she informed him that there was some massive activity going on in the neighboring sector. She explained to him that a lot of heavy scanning and pinging was taking place. He nodded, thinking a search operation might be occuring, as he was led out of Sick Bay by Joan.   
  
Within a few minutes later, the two partners in crime were in the Command Center of these secret royal fleet yard facilities. The Command Center was dimly powered as most of the power had already been transferred to the Sick Bay facilities, with one million two hundred thousand crewmen in statis, the facilities of the starbases and starship construction yards were being strained to the limit. The occassional sensor sweep gathered enough tactical data should this starbase get attacked. Joan and Jean-Marie were well aware that these crewmen were a clue to where Joan's friend Velvet was and they would do whatever they could to find her. These people had somehow met what Jean-Marie believed to be the same fate as that of Velvet. He hoped they could help them find Joan's friend quickly. Jean-Marie stared at the console.   
  
"Hmm, those are some pretty big indications of a ship trying to ping something," Jean-Marie stared at the console, "Whatever those things are is the question."   
  
"I'm thinkin' ships," Joan replied, impressing Jean-Marie with her knowledge of tactical scanning detections, "The pings are directed on wide-band, they're replied to.. actually."   
  
"Replied to?" Jean-Marie looked at Joan confused, "What do you mean, replied to?"   
  
"I mean what I mean," Joan smiled and activated a secondary console that showed a different frequency reading, "They're being replied to by vessels which are using a modified Segan ping protocol."   
  
"Wow, how did you know to detect that?" Jean Marie looked at Joan, further surprised by her knowledge.   
  
"My father... he was a Strategic Advisor to the designers of the Mary-Rosbourg Class," Joan smirked, "I heard him talking about the pings and how they were supposed to allow Segan vessels to contact one another, but how he felt that it gave them an equally stupid weak spot in that anyone who knew that could ping on wide-band frequencies and get a time-shifted Ghost Ship's location within minutes of the return ping."   
  
"You think there are Segan ships out there?" Jean-Marie glanced over, hypothesizing based on the available information to him.   
  
"Very probable. I don't know of any other species which uses ping for identification and location purposes.The modified ping, however, might suggest this is a new vessel," Joan scratched her head slightly as she thought a moment, "Hmmm."   
  
"New vessel?" Jean-Marie looked at the screen, "Aside from the fleet King Rosbourg commanded... I don't know of any new ships the Monarchy created."   
  
"The Monarchy's quite stealthy about what it develops, and once it does it likes to show it off," Joan looked at the tactical screen, "Though.. It may just be the Ghost Fleet, some of the patterns are familiar to what I saw on my father's padds about the Clarel Class Destroyers."   
  
"If that's true...." Jean-Marie looked at Joan, "Could a Segan fleet be looking for the Ghost Fleet? Maybe Youri?"  
  
"No," Joan answered flatly, "The ping frequency isn't Segan... In fact, I'd say it's a ping from a vessel from your people, Jean."   
  
"Oh?" Jean-Marie looked at Joan in surprise.   
  
"Yeah, it's got that Federation redundancy you like so much," Joan smirked and looked over the signal, "Can't tell if it's Starfleet or someone just using Federation equipement."   
  
"Think we should find out?" Jean looked at Joan, thinking of the damaged shuttlecraft.   
  
"Dunno if it's the wisest course of action," Joan glanced over, "What about the fightercrafts.. Know how to pilot one?"   
  
"Let's go," Jean grabbed a padd with the sensor scans as he walked towards the turbolift to meet fate.   
  


- - - - - -   
  


His Majesty the Prince Alexander Rosbourg groaned slightly as he prepared to stretch his way up. He stopped however, after he realized he was staring right into the sleeping eyes of his lover. Alexander watched, observing the curvature of his lover's body. Alexander smiled, feeling his lover's legs intertwining with his own as he slept silently, his stomach touching Alexander as he breathed in and out. His father didn't know about what he did with his "servant' all through the night, and he had explicitly instructed the servants not to mention any of this to anyone. He wasn't ashamed of what he was doing, as he enjoyed every moment up to the climax, and every moment back to reality. He had found love, and would never let go of it. Alexander had always and would always continue that he was a man of deep passions, and deep loyalties to those he loved most.   
  
Alexander rested for a moment longer, and decided he better get dressed for the new day ahead. University was becoming particularly burdening, as his teacher was requesting more and more work of him and this work took him away from his pleasures with lover. He slowly slipped away from Gerard whom immediately shifted his body obligingly. Alexander smiled, and looked around the room and walked towards the library. He had become particularly interested in the "other" Rosbourg family, the family members which he had little idea about aside from the propaganda which his people had been spreading. The Segan Popular Union's Monarchy had spouted for so long that the Segan Monarchy was the enemy, and in particular the Segan Monarchy's family that it had become an unquestionable reality.   
  
He pulled a book out of the library, feeling the weight of five hundred pages of writing fall upon his hands. In the S.P.U., they had replaced every single book in the Monarchy with padds, and there existed no more books like these. Alexander, being a member of the royal family, had been taught how to use these books, but it had been so long since he was taught that he had a bit of difficultly figuring out which way the book was supposed to be read. As he opened the first few pages, the stringent smells of old paper filled his nostrils as he breathed in the aroma of the old testatements of liberty and education. He flipped to the back of the book, looking over the table of contents. The first thing he saw was the compilations of the Segan Monarchy's policy divided by centuries. He looked over, seeing Charles Rosbourg (His Majesty, the Prince), pg 129. He flipped over the pages and stopped.   
  
The title was prominent: The Heir to the Throne of His Majesty the Prince Charles Rosbourg and his impact on Sego-Federation relations. Alexander read the opening paragraph, the opening paragraph spoke admirably of Charles' work aboard the Federation starships U.S.S. Pacifica-B and U.S.S. Pacifica-C's pointing to the success rate of Pacifica missions as one of the crowning achievements of Sego-Federation officer exchanges in the early half of the 2490s. Alexander smiled, as the book hypothesized that the Prince Charles Rosbourg would probably make a good king. Indeed, the Segan Monarchy not only survived the Styx War, it survived a civil war as well. Alexander looked further down, seeing a picture of Charles Rosbourg and his first wife Her Majesty the Princess Catherine Defont. He looked over, seeing their small child, and he paused, slightly unbelieving. The young Prince Youri Rosbourg, then third in line for the throne, he stared at Gerard. The resemblance was amazing.  
  
Alexander walked over to the LCARS, wondering if the resemblance was more than just a mere coincidence. Gerard had given him so much, but Alexander had aways felt Gerard had been holding back a secret. It was understandable to Alexander that some secrets would exist between them as long as they were on paper on opposite sides but in practice in love with each other. He connected to the LCARS network and requested information on Youri Rosboug, especially media of him before the S.P.U. takeover of the Segan Monarchy. He glanced over, seeing one media... "Heir to the Throne wins Dance Contest with 9.673 from S.P.N.N." As he looked at the picture, it became increasingly clear to him, Gerard was Youri, and that he had had the most wild, romantic and sexual of relations with Youri.   
  
Gerard moaned slightly as he stretched awake, much in the same way Alexander did. As his stretching didn't hit any of Alexander's body, he was taken aback, and his eyes shifted open much more rapidly. He looked around, like a lost sheep for his lover ,and found him on the other side of the room at his computer display. Gerard smiled, looking at Alexander who seemed quite in tune with his reading. Gerard, slowly and quietly stepped out of the bed, grabbing something to wear. He put on the clothes with little difficulties and walked over to Alexander. He gave Alexander a kiss on the cheek, which had in response an Alexander quickly putting the computer display down so Gerard could see. Alexander looked at Gerard, with not quite the same eyes. Alexander didn't seem angry, or hurt either, but he had questioning, perplexed eyes. He needed to understand, not why he had done it... but who he was really, to determine if he needed to protect him.   
  
"Gerard..." Alexander stood up and gave Gerard a long and loving kiss, "Your Majesty the Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg, it's you, isn't it?"   
  
"Yes..." Youri replied, looking into Alexander's eyes, "How did you know?"   
  
"The books," Alexander watched him, "You can't stay here, we have got to get you out of here. Stay here, I'm going to find some way to get in touch with the Cardassian Monarchy."   
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	23. Chapter 22

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 22   
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


Youri laughed straight for five minutes as he looked at Alexander, who looked back at him in a split display of emotions of love and confusion, "What?! What?" Alexander looked at him, "Ge-Youri why the hell are you laughing, your life's in danger and I've got to find a way to get you out without my father knowing."   
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Alexi," Youri looked at him, moving close to him and hugging him tightly, resting his head on Alexander's heart as he heard it beat softly, "It's just you ordered me to stay here, even though you said I can't stay here."   
  
Alexander looked at Youri even more baffled, his crystal blue eyes looking over the brown-skinned Youri, Alexander smiled, his smiling turning into a smirk, and then a short laugh, "All right, cute guy, I'm going to get going and do some work to make sure you end up where I can keep you safe."   
  
"My hero strikes again," Youri looked at Alexander, as he walked back towards the bed, "How will I ever thank you for all you have done."   
  
Alexander smiled, "Later... it's always more fun at night when everyone is sleeping," Alexander looked at him, blowing him a kiss from his computer console, "I'm going to get in touch with a friend of your father's, and a friend of my uncle's... Maybe she can do something."   
  
"Oh?" Youri watched from across the room, "I didn't know you were so well... connected, my love."   
  
"I'm not a brainless child you know, "Alexander grinned, tapping the commlinks open, "Contacting Joan La Chercheur, you might know her father, I hear she was very close to your family."   
  
"They were very good allies when we needed the nobility's support," Youri looked at Alexander, "I didn't know they had connections to your father's regime."   
  
"They're very good at hiding things, I'd have to say," Alexander turned around, "Aaah, I think I've located her. Sending her a message of friendship now."   
  
Peace can be created by people if they so desire, if the desire for peace is stronger than the desire for war then peace shall prevail. Friendship is a strong creator of peace, it creates desire and sympathies amongst people that wouldn't be there otherwise. Love is the strongest creator of peace, and the strongest force that drives people into war. The Segan Monarchy takes great pride in knowing it had undertaken several military actions in order to ensure love amongst two and three people could be maintained. Alexander's actions, Youri soon realized, were all out of a love for the Segan people, and especially Alexander's chosen significant other. Youri observing this love noticed that Alexander's heart was purer than gold, warmer than Venus, truer than the word of the Quadaz. Youri watched as Alexander's words escaped from his lips, he was encompassed with pure admiration for this true Prince. He was neither a Prince, nor a honorable man himself... he had proven that to himself during his time in the camps where he had been broken. He resolved he would be happy only in Alexander's happiness. It would be a mission he would never regret the duration of his life.   
  
"All right, your Majesty," Joan's bright cheerful voice remained constant as she stepped off her boat, "You're asking for a difficult mission, your father won't make this any easier on me."   
  
"Just give us the day and time, and the place where we should meet you, Joan, and we'll be there," Alexander looked over to Youri, giving him a thumbs up, it'd be a difficult task to make sure Youri wasn't discovered, already there were questions surfacing around the death of the other Youri which were making his father weary. His father had arrived to keep the media at bay, but for how long was the question. The less time spent on getting Youri out meant the less time his father could find out the real identity of Gerard, his lover.  
  
"I've just talked with Maitre Wolf, your Majesty," Joan looked at Alexander firmly in the eye, "He will get a vessel somehow to your location in a week, during the night of the 9th day after this conversation, an operation will be mounted in which the front door of the palace will be assaulted, it should give you a distraction, long enough to get to the palace's stable... from there, His Majesty will be transported out, we'll take care of making sure Gerard never existed."   
  
"Sounds excellent," Alexander looked over to Youri, winking at him, "He'll be ready."   
  
"Good, while I know we're having fun discussing things," Joan stared across away from the camera, "I think I'll be picking up a shadow soon enough. See you soon, remember, the 9th day. La Chercheur out."   
  


- - - - - - - -  
  


Doctor Jean-Marie Daniels and Velvet were staring across each other in the Sick Bay that was housing the million of staff members of the Ghost Fleet. He had been briefed by Space Marshall Nelson upon the importance of this project to the Segan Monarchy, the Supreme Militants' Union, the Cardassian Monarchy. The list of interest was long and the cause for all this interested in these million young and middle aged men was understandable. They alone were trained to drive, pilot, and fight with their vessels and they alone were sufficiently proficient to maneuver these vessels. At the hands of few other pilots could these ships fight to their fullest potentials. They were the few, the brave, the most loyal of men and they would give their lives in an instant for the Segan Monarchy and the Crown that led it. This, beyond all else drove their passions, but now they could do nothing but sleep in their cubicles of sorts as Jean-Marie Daniels led a massive group of Doctors and nurses to try and find a cure to this problem.   
  
Jean-Marie was at the end of his nerves. He had worked day upon day upon day on this assignment which he had neither requested nor deserved. He wanted to be well on his way from here, in search of Velvet's friend but she had pushed him on. Without her, he would have already called it quits but she remained by his side as they struggled through the hurdles that this dilemma gave them. Jean-Marie's eyes blurred, as he relooked at the DNA samples what seemed to be the one million and first time. He could see Velvet's eyes looking at him, smiling faintly, she knew he wasn't going through his best of days and he only needed to see her smile to re-energize him. Jean-Marie looked back at her, as in a moment, an instantaneous burst of energy ripped through his mind.   
  
Jean-Marie's foosteps were carrying him faster than he could think up away from his chair as he headed towards the main Sick Bay, to look at the soldiers which were kept asleep in their criogenic cribs. He didn't need to think, and he didn't need to answer to any of the questions which were being posed to him by Velvet and the small group of Doctors and nurses that were following him as he rushed towards the first criogenic crib. He fingers, flying mindlesly connected all the criogenic cribs together, as his fingers performed the miracles they needed to. Quickly he rearranged complex equilibriums of calcium, and vitamins, switching moving and changing bio-rhythms using enzymes which he didn't even know existed. At the end of it, Jean-Marie sighed, looking over to Velvet who was quite confused, same with the Doctors and nurses.   
  
"Do I want to ask what just happened, Jean-Marie?" Velvet glanced over the criogenic cribs, seeing them deactivated.   
  
"I don't know what came over me," Jean-Marie replied honestly, looking back, "I wasn't even thinking."   
  
"Well, I think he just killed the entire mission," A doctor in the background exclaimed, "I'm going to go call the mission."   
  
"Wait!" Someone else shouted, "Look, the gas is going away!"   
  
Jean-Marie turned back, looking over as one of the cribs opened. One of the patients was awake.   
  
"Lieutenant Commander Gregors of the S.W.D. Bastia," Gregors looked over the familiar Starfleet uniform, "Do I want to ask what's going on?"   
  
"It's a long story," Jean-Marie smiled, "One that I think... one chapter of it just ended."   
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	24. Chapter 23

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 23  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


Inside the city of Arnouville, on the green and blue planet of Chinon, the atmosphere hadn't been filled with so many gray clouds in years. As the center of the unified Segan Monarchy began its day, it was welcomed to the sound of thunder and heavy rain. The temperatures were bitter cold, hovering around the three degrees celsius as the wind swept across the city of hundreds of skyscrapers. In the center of it all, seemingly an island of countryside, the palace of Arnouville stood quietly braving the wind and the rain like all the other buildings in the vicinity. A couple of palace servants were mingling around the windows, as they heard the thunder boom through the country side. The sky was filled with thunder, as what should have been a fairly clear day was now a dark somber one. While the palace on the surface seemed to be mingling with the usual activities, down below another type of storm was brewing.   
  
Like the Palais d'Arnouville in the First City, the palace of Arnouville had deep in the underground layer a series of command centers which were designed to coordinate the efforts of a massive fleet deployment should the need arise that the governing King or Queen be responsible for the defense of the Segan Monarchy. It had been years since these facilities had been funded and manned with no particular duty other than just being available in the event they were to become necessary. The underground layer of the palace was a maze of networked webs of intelligence and counter-intelligence and communications centers along with tactical superiority centers all mingle and bunched up into a War Center. From these bunkers, bunkers that numbered in the hundreds, the King of the Segan Monarchy could coordinate a war involving 15,000 starships and half a million fightercrafts should the need arise.   
  
08:00 hours, the Heir apparent to the Segan Monarchy stepped off the turbolift that led to the Command center. Mind controlled by the Styx for many days now, His Majesty the Crown Prince Vladimir Rosbourg had been reduced to a mute shell within his own body, suppressed to such fury that he no longer controled his own mind and body. "He" had convened an emergency meeting of the Joints Chiefs of Staffs, just a few days ago, and had ordered the convergence of ninety percent of the Segan Monarchy's Royal Fleet to the Trikari Nebula in the Delta Quadrant. The Chiefs of Staffs had been specifically instructed to make sure the deployment was unannounced, and that the news media agencies didn't know a thing of the deployment. "He" was fairly certain that these orders had been followed to the letter.   
  
The snap of boots as two soldiers guarding the door to the Conference Room saluted their leader. The guards, upon finishing their traditional salute moved to open the doors. The doors, traditional 18th Century Segan Deco, were made of crystal, reinforced later on by transparent titanium. As the doors were pulled fully open, the Crown Prince entered the room quietly, as the Joint-Chiefs of Staffs' low mumbles came to a stop as they turned to bow to their Crown Prince. They were unaware that the orders they had listened to for days hadn't come from their own leader, that in fact the orders had come from the enemy itself. Vladimir Rosbourg had invaded the Segan Monarchy in a preemptive attempt to satisfy Styx demands. Now, while the Styx's demands had been met, they were determined to see the campaign through to the end.   
  
The Arch-Achroid's assistant was standing in front of Vladimir Rosbourg, smiling to the Arch-Achroid. The assistant understood that the Arch-Achroid would only give this one last shot, and if it didn't work, the Styx would return several thousand years later when the Styx were more prepared for a sustained invasion of the Selevenar Galaxy and the Milky Way Galaxy. The lessons that they had learned were much more valuable than the actual losses sustained which were minor to the entire Styx Fleet. With the lessons they had learned, they would use the information to undertake the massive invasion of the Ytrakik Galaxy with a quarter million starships on hand. The Ytrakik Galaxy had always been a thorn on the Styx's side, matching their tactical prowess and setting a counter balance to the Styx has a super-power. Now, the other super-power would meet an end very quickly, they hoped. Their war, however, had gone for years with little success.   
  
Vladimir Rosbourg instructed the Admiralty to go ahead and sit down, there was much work to be done. Vladimir Rosbourg sat down, as he glanced over the mission details. In the middle of the table sat the Cardassian star system, the target of the campaign. The Styx Arch-Achroid's voice was lively now, as the talk of war was open and soon there would be blood to satisfy the need of the surviving Styx troops in the area. This would be a two-thronged invasion, Segan warships were to attack the Cardassian super-base that was covering the vital point of entry into the Cardassian Star system, while "Allied" vessels would fire a planetary barrage that would destroy the anti-invasion planetary defense installations without them being able to fire a shot in return. Meanwhile, Segan mine layers would deploy behind the Allied attack lines and set up a cloaked minefield as they awaited the arrival of Supreme Militants' Union reinforcement. A careful and strategic retreat would be undertaken so that S.M.U. ships would be forced to go through the minefield, giving enough time for Allied vessels to converge and destroy the enemy fleet, then... it would be on to Cardassia, a quick campaign that would be done before the I.A.P. could ever counter-act.   
  
"How many vessels will be involved in this assault all together, your Majesty?" An Admiral asked, as he looked over the numbers of the "Allied" contribution.   
  
"We are contributing three thousand cruisers, battleships, and carriers, per your Majesty's request" The representative of the Styx Arch-Achroid replied, "You will be contributing 50 mine layers to complete the task of setting up the mine field quickly, while contributing three thousand six hundred of your destroyers, and cruisers to take out the St- I mean the Cardassian superbase."   
  
"The four hundred destroyers left will be charged to defend our home land in the event this fails, if we succeed, then we can consider moving on to bigger things," Vladimir Rosbourg added, as he looked over the Admiralty, "Admiral Ulixes, of our Allies will be in charge of this operation. I expect you all to follow his orders as you would mine."   
  
"Understood," The Admirals replied, as they looked over the logistics they would need to work out, not to mention their ships would all have to make hasty maneuvers to get to the Delta Quadrant in time.   
  
"May the Quadaz be on our side," Vladimir Rosbourg stated as he put his crown off his head and onto the table, "Win this for me, and for the Galaxy, gentlemen. Dismissed."   
  
The Styx Arch-Achroid was playing his final ace in his attempt to gain more and more land in the Milky Way Galaxy. With more space, he could begin reconstructing the nexus point he needed to transfer the reinforcements needed to overwhelm the galaxy with a new assault force. He'd do it slowly, more cautiously this time, and he would only attack when his forces outnumbered theirs ten to one. This was only the last assault of his first campaign, it took the Styx usually several tries before they ever succeeded in capturing a galaxy, but those several tries were always more than enough to overwhelm the enemy. That was what the Styx were infamous for, they were usually capable of doing it with the only exception of the Ytrakik who were their equal in almost every sense except that they fought for things such as "honor, loyalty, and peace." The Styx stood for the true things in life, "war, death in battle, blood." Cardassia would soon be full of all of these again, the Arch-Achroid was sure the Cardassian people hadn't forgetten his terror.   
  


- - - - -   
  


Prime Minister Wolf was extatic as he terminated his transmission with Space Marshall Nelson. The Space Marshall had succeeded in doing the impossible, he had combed through Segan space without being detected and had mounted one of the most massive manhunts in the history of the Segan Monarchy. The Space Marshall had succeeded in recovering the five thousand starships of the Ghost Fleet, and medical workers in his team had arrived to revive the million crewmembers that were responsible for running the Ghost Fleet. The Space Marshall gave his assurances that the Ghost Fleet would be on their way to Cardassia Prime to recieve their new operational orders within a few weeks. The Space Marshall in his own right was extremely happy with the work of his search teams, it had taken an exhaustive three weeks to do the search, but they had completed it and they had completed it succesfully.   
  
With a lot of coordination on the part of the Ghost Fleets' crewmembers, work had begun on getting the crewmembers beamed into their right ship. Afterwords, it would be decided how best to get the ships out of their cocoon in the ice world and the desert world. Amongst the first of the crews being transferred to the ships were those of the S.W.S. Selevenar and the S.W.D. Clarel, the prototypes of the Selevelar Class heavy battleships and the Clarel Class heavy destroyers. Newly promoted Captain Davidson, commended for his contributing work in the initial propulsion tests of the S.W.D. Clarel was now once again seperated from his lover after having had a brief period to come to terms with the battle and their fears of loosing one another. While they might have been the best Commanding Officers in space, their feelings for one another overwhelmed them every single time. Captain Anderson, lover of Captain Davidson and Commanding Officer of the S.W.S. Selevenar was also feeling these same reciprocal feelings.   
  
Captain Anderson's crew beamed aboard the S.W.S. Selevenar, and began immediately to figure out how to get out of the cave. Within a few hours, with more crews transferred to the now several hundred manned warships of the Ghost Fleet. The S.W.S. Selevenar fired a well placed phaser shot that opened a massive hole in the cavern, big enough for the Selevenar Class battleships one by one to escape out of their desert dungeon. As the vessels, not designed for atmospheric travel rose up, their hulls were tensed and stretched to beyound safety limits as the design work of one Dr. Yamadivosok began to show its true colors. Each Selevenar Class battleship in its turn scratched through the various layers of the planet's atmosphere as they reached space. They then headed back to their shipyards where they transported another crew back to their ship. With these simple exchanges, the million crew within twelve hours were back on the ship, as more and more ships massed in orbit of the desert planet and the ice planet that had safely hidden the ships from the enemy.   
  
21:30 hours, with the completion of the transfer of the crews, and all the Ghost Fleet vessels powered up and accounted for, the Segan Ghost Fleet had deployed to strategic locations around the now fully powered up and armed Ghost Fleet shipyards. They provided for a more effective defense platform. Doctor Jean-Marie Daniels was promised an explanation as to what the Ghost fleet's operators could remember the moment they were under way. The son of their King was in trouble, and one of their Ghost Fleet vessel was on its way to pick that son up and bring him to safety. The five thousand ship Ghost Fleet was now awaiting the order to get going to Cardassia, and with the proportionately small Supreme Militants' Union task force also ready for departure the order was just about to come. With a confirmation of the flight plan, and an understanding that they would try to first and foremost reach Cardassia without being detected, Space Marshall Nelson and the Fleet Captains of the Ghost Fleet affirmed their decision to proceed carefully rather than quickly. Low hyper-transwarp speeds allowed the Ghost Fleet and the S.M.U. fleet the lowest energy signatures, they'd arrive at Cardassia within a few weeks.   
  
"I think it's time to get going," Captain Davidson noted, as the Clarel Class starship's engines were powered up, "Set a course for Cardassia Prime, helm. Engage at lowest hyper-transwarp speed possible."   
  
"Low hyper-transwarp speed, Navigations. Anti-Sensors Detection, CONN," Captain Anderson on the other vessel ordered, "Activate every equipement we have that makes us undetectible." Within seconds, the more than five thousand ship fleet had engaged hyper-transwarp and were heading straight for destiny.   
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  



	25. Chapter 24

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 24  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


Alexander felt depressed, it had been days since the rain hadn't stopped pouring down on Chinon, and Arnouville was drenched in rains that were caused by strong cold and warm fronts of air that were wrestling one another for supremacy of the air. Nature too had its wars, and it was fighting a battle of the titans whose only casualties was the saturated ground below. The constant gray skies, and the early darkness also added to the depressive mood of the young Segan sovereign whose heart was unaccustomed to nature being against him. In these depressive moods, Alexander would normally be out amongst nature relishing its warmth and refreshing his emotions with the assistance of the sun. On Chinon, nothing was preparing itself to assist Alexander, and nothing wanted to accord him of any love either. Alexander thought day and night, minute and hours on end about Youri, the occupant of the room he was in. Alexander sighed, he missed him dearly, even though he knew he had had to do what he had done, it would have been only a matter of time before Youri would have been discovered and now he knew Youri would be safe.   
  
Alexander's heart, however, didn't think with such high headed morals and was aching for the return of its companion. Alexander needed something of Youri, if only to remember his continuous gift of love, and admiration that he had seen in Youri. Alexander felt with Youri in his arm that he had accomplished succesfully a duty to destiny. He had saved Youri, and brought him out of the terrible misery of the death camps. While he would have liked to have saved others, he was too far up the command chain not to bring attention to himself. He had come to accept that through Youri he had accomplished all he could do for Youri's subjects. But as every day dragged on, Alexander knew more and more people were dying under his father's regime and while forces outside were massing to take him down, they were being painfully long in their massing of forces.   
  
Alexander's depression was coming to a climactic point, he wanted to find something of Youri in this palace, and the only thing he could remember was the underground layer of the palace which Youri had showed. At the time, Youri was still Gerard and and Gerard had called this King Charles and Prince Youri's shared passion. He could remember the elaborate and loving rendition of Arnouville, designed by the palace's staff in order to give the Prince something to do with his father. The model of Arnouville was set in the Internet age, the city's mass transit systems still based on iron rails. The city was plastered with tram lines that meandered their way through the Arnouville streets, while on the outskirts massive lines of track linked to outside cities. The rails were an important source of transportation and resources to the city during the Internet age, and even to this day both of these are vitally important to the Segan economy at large.   
  
Alexander opened the door which he had kept closed since Youri had left. Even while Youri was around the door was kept closed anyway to give both of them complete privacy. Alexander looked at his two body guards, who kept watch over the door. He would just have to yell the first two letters of Help, and they would be in his room within an instant. Youri smiled to both of them, and made a left turn to head towards the center of long corridor that connected all the bedrooms to the rest of the palace. Followed by his bodyguards, Youri walked down the stairs, walking down the first flight, the second flight, and then the third flight which led to the basement of the palace. He opened the doors, to the right were the secret command bunkers which he had visited once with his father and had no interest in seeing again. On the left was the door which led to his only true remaining connection to Youri. He turned the knob, and entered slowly, calling for 50% lighting in the room.   
  
There it stood, with the flying skyscrapers visibly overlooking the city line, and the railroads prominently layering their way through the city. The suburbs were all expertly constructed, and distance to the perfect scale. He looked over at one of the trolleys that was stopped at the train station. He remembered guiding it through the streets as Youri busied himself finishing a portion of the river on the North eastern side of the city. Youri had been happiest here and in his bedroom with him, Alexander had noted. As he walked over the controls, he sat down in the chair, remembering that Youri had mentioned nothing was ever finished on this model railroad layout. Youri added that nothing was ever finished in life either, there always was room for improvement anywhere and everywhere. He remembered thinking about those words that very night, as he tried to better his kisses to Youri. They never were perfect, always room for improvement he noted.   
  
The engine rumbled as the trolley began circling through the city. It was the G line, the line that ran from Downtown Arnouville to the old Mid-Town, going through the nuclear power plants in the outskirt of Arnouville and circling back to the Chinon Planetary Administration building. It then re-entered Downtown Arnouville, and continued on its way to the Arnouville Airport, circling back and repeating this loop every hour and a half, the time it took to meddle its way through traffic and the sheer distance of the then one million citizen city. While the population hadn't significantly increased over the years, Arnouville's population mix had changed drastically, and so had the buildings, very few buildings dating back as far as the Internet age. Even the past wasn't perfect, even the past had work to do to better itself.  
  
Alexander jumped and froze, turning around and taken aback by his father's hand touching his shoulder, he was taken by surprise, his body shaking for a second. His father looked different, Alexander thought, watching his body. He looked tired, almost exhausted even though he had done little physical exhertion on his body. Alexander compared his father to one of the tired S.P.U. soldiers having just returned from battle. When Alexander and his father had inspected some of the front lines on planets that were soon going to be taken by the S.P.U. from the Segan Monarchy, they all had this same posture, and the same visual expressions. He looked over at his father, realizing they hadn't exchanged a word yet, even though they had been staring at one another for over a few minutes. Alexander opened his mouth to say something, but his father raised his hand.   
  
"Alexander," His father began, his voice sounding out of breath, "I don't have much time and the time I have I wan't to make sure I make amends with my only son."   
  
"What are you talking about, Father?" Alexander asked him, almost angrily, "You've got plenty of time."   
  
"No," His father shook his head, "You don't understand but you soon will. He is distracted with the war effort, it gives me time to take control of my own body. Alex, you are my son, good of heart and good of soul. I know what you did, and I respect you for it. I must repay the debt I have always owed you... You must make sure the Cardassians know, there is an attack... it's coming soon, I don't know when but it's before the end of two weeks. You must warn them, a large fleet is coming to take them down."   
  
"What?!?" Alexander looked at his Father,"This large fleet is commanded by who?!?"   
  
"It's going under my orders," Vladimir stared at Alexander, "They are not my orders at all... What I did, I did to make sure our people survived. I have made a grave mistake, and I will die for it. You must fix my errors, Alex, or all our people will die."   
  
Alexander realized that he had misjudged his father as his father collapsed in front of him. The doctors proclaimed his father had died from an unusual strain of bacteria that had infected his brain, but Alexander knew that it was an outside power that had killed him. Alexander didn't know the identity of that outside power, but it was clear they had consolidated much of the power in the Segan Monarchy and that he had to find someway to work around those powers. Alexander's father had been a person driven by his love for his subjects, a love which had been tested and strained by the outside power that had lied and worked under a completely different system of ethics, and incompatible system of ethics that was twisted and deranged. Alexander, for the first time walked inside his father's bedroom, looking over some of the most intimate of objects to his father, including an inscription "The King's duty isn't to satisfy his own undeniable hunger for power but to satisfy his people's undeniable hunger for security." As Alexander tapped the text message to Joan La Chercheur, carrying the vital information that needed expedient delivery to Cardassia Prime, he knew he was doing his duty as future King to the Popular Union.   
  


- - - - -   
  


Ulixes breathed in hardeously as he stepped onto the bridge of his flagship with his executive officer and fleet coordinator, "Mmmmm, I smell the pungent, awesome smell of blood coming from out target. They don't even know they are going to be dead within a few days. It's a glorious smell, Adrix, a glorious smell indeed!"   
  
"I agree, Admiral," Adrix, the hero of the Cardassia Prime invasion replied, "I smelled the same smells the first time we came here, success is close in our hands, and we will return these Cardassians to where they belong... working as servants to our Syndicate and Consortium."   
  
"Admiral," The 2nd Officer of the Styx flagship called, as he turned around from his work station, "I'm confirming the arrival of the Segan Popular Union Fleet, they say they are awaiting our instructions, and are ready to launch the attack on Cardassia Prime."   
  
"Right," Admiral Ulixes replied, as he sat down in his chair that was superior to all other, "Inform them to set course for Cardassia Prime and engage at warp 15."   
  
Admiral Ulixes watched the innumerable stars that would all soon become dominions of the Styx. He smiled, thinking that would he to be in the home galaxy, all those stars around him would either be the in the process of conquest by the Styx, or already a part of the vast Styx Syndicate and Styx Consortium. Their leader was the fearless Arch-Achroid who had become an amazing leader that had ruled over the Styx for thousands of years. The wars that the Arch-Achroid had all been good wars that had brought glorious death to some of the Styx, and glorious victory to those who lived. The Admiral was apprehensive that now, he was being tested for his skills as a leader. The Arch-Achroid was looking very carefully at his first assignment as an Admiral, and he wanted to make sure he accomplished his duty. He had risen from pure devoted work to the Syndicate, and would make sure that that devoted work continued here in the Milky Way Galaxy.   
  
The Syndicate had marked this as a moderate assignment involving unusual partners that being the Syndicate and the Segan Popular Union against the Cardassian Monarchy and the Supreme Militants' Union. Together the Cardo-S.M.U. fleet was outnumbered two to one by the incoming invading force. The Syndicate and the Popular Union had mustered approximately six thousand warships, with two hundred transports standing by to send in two million marine shock troops to consolidate authority on Cardassia. It was no small deployment in the history of this galaxy, and the Syndicate was confident it would be enough to destroy the Cardassian defense effort. Now, under the leadership of Admiral Ulixes, this six thousand ship fleet had entered war, crossing into unclaimed territory as they headed for the Badlands, the reputed border between the Federation and the Cardassian Monarchy. The Badlands would become the point of entry for the remaining Styx fleet to try and retake what they had built as their Headquarters during the Styx War.   


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	26. Chapter 25

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 25  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


At the edge of Cardassian Space, just fifteen thousand kilometers from the region of space known as the Badlands, the Styx Imperium had established what they had called the bastion of Styx expansion in the Milky Way Galaxy. The bastion, which consisted of a 150-decker super-starbase, was the direct successor of the fortresses that had developped under the care of Styx military strategists. What Styx military strategists hadn't considered, however, was the possibility that the time it took to construct the starbase, the Styx would have been pushed back far beyond the point of construction. In the year 2500, the hard-pressed Intergalactic Alliance of Powers had managed to throw in one last fatal punch that destroyed the backbone of the Styx invasion. Within a month, the Styx had evacuated, and had seen their rift that had sent their first invasion fleet destroyed.   
  
The bastion had never fired a shot at the enemy, as Cardassian vessels flew anew over Cardassian territory. The Cardassians, which had agreed to become a part of the Segan Monarchy had now the important duty of defending these newly acquired territories that expanded Segan Sovereign Space. A few months before the turmoil of the Segan Civil War had begun, the Cardassians had found the bastion left abandoned. It was a secret story, diffused to only the military commanders and the crew that was to man the starbase. By the time His Majesty the Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg's forces had been defeated by the numerically superior forces of His Majesty the Crown Prince Vladimir Rosbourg. The starbase's importance grew three-fold as it was garding the obvious point of entry from a fleet coming from the Delta Quadrant. There was no choice, no other options to be decided, the place would have the fully manned, and fully armed if it were to repel a fleet.   
  
Inside the starbase now named Vernok Krix, tensions were high as each day brought a combat-drill along with it. They were currently in the middle of one in fact, as parts of the starbase's walls were filled with smoke. Holding off an assault of 250 simulated starships, the starbase returned fire with a mean torpedo volley. A wave of simulated starships disintegrated as the Cardassian 4th Fleet arrived on scene supported by some of the Supreme Militants' Union's mother ships. The starbase's shields held off one more assault, but the Cardassian 4th Fleet was able to divert attention. Another succesful combat drill, and the starbase had won with moderate damage against an assault of approximately 300 Segan warships. If things would happen like this, the Commanders were assured, they're be nothing holding them back from retaking the Monarchy and restoring it to her proper sovereign.   
  
Dropping out of warp just before the Badlands on the Federation side of the Federation-Cardassian border, the massive fleet from the Segan Monarchy prepared its assault. Admiral Ulixes, commanding the Styx task force was now ready to win the battle for the Styx. The combined Sego-Styx fleet would have two primary missions on its hand. Divert the Supreme Militants' Union's fleet away from the starbase, as the Styx's battleships would fire concentrated bursts designed to break Vernok Krix's shields allowing for more torpedo bursts to hit right at the heart of the fusion core. The Styx knew their starbase better than anyone else and were certain they could get the starbase down with the ships they had available in this task force. Cloaked mine-layers were already placing their mines at coordinates two-four-six mark twenty-two, as soon as they returned the attack would commence.   
  
The Operations Manager's console's beeped as all thirty of the cloaked mine-layers appeared out of the badlands unharmed. They had completed their mission, escaping both the sensor sweeps of the Cardassian-S.M.U. task force of some one thousand ships spread amongst a vast sector of space, and the Cardassian starbase protecting the Badlands. Now, it was time for the main course to be had by the blood thirsty Styx. Admiral Ulixes raised his arm to order that the assault may begin. With little attention to the badland storms, the starships of the invading force activated their impulse engines dodging the storms brewing in the particularly dangerous region of space. The starships would not be stopped in their mission to rebring the Cardassians into the Styx's command.   
  


- - - - -   
  


"Sir, our tachyon grid is picking something up on extreme long range sensors," The Operations Manager of Vernok Krix announced, turning his head to the Cardassian Gul.   
  
"What kind of something, Ops?" Gul Arnek asked as she stood from her command chair, walking over to the Operations console to have a look for herself.   
  
"I'm reading what look to be cloaked starships," The Operations Manager knew what he was saying was serious, what he was detecting could be the invasion fleet which they had been training to meet.   
  
Gul Arnek glanced over the Operations Manager's reading as the console marked each new detecting with a question mark, there were now fifty such question marks on the console. Gul Arnek thought fast, "Communications, get a message to Fleet Gul Barmar inform him we've got bogeys detected coming from the Badlands and they don't seem to be friendlies.   
  
"Aye, Gul Ma'am," The Communications Officer replied, tapping her console rapidly, "This is Vernok Krix to Cadaceus, repeat this is Vernok Krix to Cadaceus, we are reading enemy bogeys coming in from the Badlands, they do not seem to be friendly, request immediate reinforcements."   
  
Gul Arnek stared once more at the Operations console as she turned around, walking to her chair, "General Quarters, Sound Battlestations."   
  
The Tactical Officer nodded and tapped the buttons required to bring the station to Red Alert, as the station's weak points were closed down and reinforced by Styx double hulls, the Tactical Officer tapped the intercom to all decks, "General Quarters! General Quarters, all hands man your battlestations. This is not a drill, repeat this is not a drill!"   
  
Gul Arnek glanced over, "Operations, place on screen the ETA of the S.M.U. and Cardassian Task Forces as well as that of the bogeys."   
  
"Aye, Gul Arnek," The Operations Officer tapped and out on the screen came the ETA of the bogeys that being 15.04 minutes, and the eta of the S.M.U. and Cardassian Task Force's that being, 17.07 minutes, "Two minutes to hold out..."   
  
"How many vessels are we reading out there, Tactical, and what type?"   
  
"I'm reading a diverse bunch.... Over one thousand bogeys coming out of the Badlands now and forming up in an attack posture. They're Segan, Gul ma'am," The Tactical Officer replied, "There are more coming out, we definetely didn't plan for more."   
  
"They must have at least half of their fleet out there now, ma'am," The Operations Officer reported ominously.   
  
"Not good, not good at all," Gul Arnek replied, looking over at her Executive Officer, "We're unfortunately going to need non-essentials, we should prepare for a major pummeling here."   
  
"Aye, highly recommend we divert power to shields and weapons from non-essential systems," Her executive officer wisely suggested.   
  
"Do it, XO," Gul Arnek replied, turning her head to the Tactical Officer, "Arm all torpedo bays, fire only on my mark."   
  
Deep inside the Starbase, the junior officers and non-commissioned crewmen were involved in the preparation for battle. To increase structural integrity, non-essential corridors were locked out. Torpedo tubes were armed by those in charge of the torpedo launchers, as meanwhile diagnostics were being completed in haste for all the phaser bays. Damage control teams were out in force, placing themselves in the area around the starbase's central power junctions. Security teams too were dispersing throughout the station in order to provide no weak-point in the case shields were broken through and boarding parties were sent. Medical teams were getting out all the extra supplies and placing them on hand in the event nurses and doctors alike would need them. The preparation for battle was a starbase wide effort, that which everyone had hoped wouldn't occur.   
  
Hundreds of thousands of light years away, in the center of the unified Segan Monarchy, on a green and blue planet called Chinon, a young Prince now heir to the Segan throne stared calmly past the windows to overlook the city skyline of Arnouville. The rain, for the first time since his lover had left, had stopped pouring, and massive gray clouds were forming in nature's duel for supremacy of the air. His Majesty the Crown Prince Alexander Rosbourg had found the Styx operatives in his father's Court and had them promptly arrested and put on guard. He had secured the authority here, but the fleet wasn't answering his hail. The fleet should be close to arriving inside Cardassian space, and soon the battle for the future of the Segan Monarchy would be fought. In the sky, the clouds were continuing to form, massing for their preparation to drop more water. The loud rumble filled the air as thunder allowed its roar to be heard throughout the land.   
  
At high hypertranswarp speeds, the Segan Ghost Fleet and the other much larger portion of the S.M.U. task force were returning to Cardassia Prime in haste. They had a mission to do and that was to defeat the Styx again. At the head of the fleet, showing their superior speed, the Clarel Class Heavy Destroyers maneuvered at their fastest safe limits, trying to push ther barrier so they could make it faster. Space Marshall Nelson, from his mother ship watched as the Clarel pulled ahead swiftly, as the capital ships attempted their best to keep up with clearly a much faster and agile escort. The Space Marshall, aware that it would take the Clarel less time to get to Cardassia Prime in a battle where time would be critical, had just completed the order to proceed at the Clarel fleet's top speed and to leave the capital ships behind. The fleet wouldn't waste time in getting to the capital of the Cardassian Monarchy, the fleet couldn't allow such a thing to happen.   
  
At Vernok Krix, the situation as even more tense. The build-up of the Sego-Styx fleet had been completed and in front of them stood six-thousand vessels. The vessels were confidently flying towards Vernok Krix, carrying the banners of the Segan Monarchy on their hull. The Styx vessels were continuing to display fake sensor shadows making them look like Segan warships, the Styx were still masters of the art of deception. It had taken the officers in charge of sensor tracking months before they could detect a Styx vessel before it dropped its anti-sensor detection devices to open fire. Now it would take months, maybe even years before they could detect a Styx vessel using sensor shadows. At Vernok Krix, however, that wasn't something they had the luxury to worry about. The fleet was right in front of them, sailing closer and closer.   
  
"I've got a weapon's lock on the lead vessels, Gul Arnek, "The Tactical Officer ominously reported, staring straight into the Gul's dark brown eyes.   
  
"Fire all megaton torpedoes," The Gul Arnek replied, looking back at her Communication's Officer, "Send message to Cadeceus, we have engaged the enemy fleet."   
  
"Aye, Gul Ma'am," The communication's officer quickly activated the subspace communication's beacon and launched the text only message to the Cadeceus.   
  
Vernok Krix was a bastion of power in a border often threatened by instability. Vernok Krix was to become, in the Cardassian Monarchy's hope, a bastion of stability as well. On Deck 10, 20, and 40, the deck hull plates parted to allow the torpedo bay to exit. The Tactical Officer's lock established, he allowed the slow but long-ranged megaton torpedoes to exit their torpedo bays. One by one, the most dangerous, most powerful torpedoes the I.A.P had ever developed during the Styx War was allowed to sail towards the Sego-Styx Fleet. At first it was one, but by the end of the torpedo barrage, over one hundred megaton torpedoes were allowed to set sail. Those torpedo bays quickly exchanging their megaton torpedoes for the more numerous tri-quantum torpedoes stocked at Vernok Krix, over twenty five thousand.   
  
"Evasive Pattern Archon Seven," Admiral Ulixes ordered as the heavy mother ships began sailing forward in a forty-five degree angle that pointed up, "Sound collision alarms, have destroyers take position to destroy the torpedoes."   
  
From space, the torpedoes although slow were approaching their intended targets. A quick burst of the mother ships' engines, and they were off on their steady climb that allowed more destroyers to take position in a line in front of the megaton torpedoes. Anti-fightercraft counter measures were fired in front of the megaton torpedoes as some of the megaton torpedoes exploded in place. One of the megaton torpedoes sailed through and hit its mark, a Mary-Rosbourg Class Destroyer whose shields were instantly taken out of action. A second megaton torpedo hit its forward anti-fightercraft guns. Its magazine exposed, the Mary-Rosbourg Class Destroyer forward sections were engulfed in flames as it pitched 60 degrees down. It was immediately replaced by a Selevenar Class battleship that allowed a much wider spread of anti-fightercraft weaponry to fire upon the megaton torpedoes. By the end of the first melee, only seven of the one hundred megaton torpedoes hit their mark, taking out two destroyers, and severely damaging another.   
  
"Inform all hands, all decks, all stations," Gul Arnek announced, "Megaton torpedoes failed. Prepare for widescale breaches."   
  
The Sego-Styx fleet continued to sail forward, their ETA only about five minutes, and then ten seconds after that they'd be in weapons range. The Styx mother ships opened fire, allowing a powerful volley of their own torpedoes to head straight for Vernok Krix. The starbase's shields lighted up as they countered the assault. The torpedoes only doing light damage to the shields. Elsewhere the Cardassian-S.M.U. task force was converging at a rally point, preparing to head towards the starbase that was 7 minutes away. The moment of truth was about to become clear, as the Sego-Styx fleet entered weapons range, firing volley after volley of triquantum torpedoes, and their Styx equivalent. On Vernok Krix, the station shook at the sheer magnitude of the torpedo assault its shields was being forced to take.   
  
"Moderate damage to forward shield number one!" The Tactical Officer shouted.   
  
"Shields down to eighty-seven percent and holding, Gul Arnek," The Damage Control Officer replied.   
  
"All torpedo tubes, mark your targets, and make each and every shot count," Gul Arnek ordered as she turned her head to the Tactical Officer, "Fire at will."   
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	27. Chapter 26

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 26  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


Vernok Krix was fighting for the defense of more than just territory, it was fighting for the defense of an entire galaxy's way of life. As each of its two hundred torpedo bays opened, locking on to their targets, the phaser arrays too prepared to have their part in the battle. Vernok Krix had witheld another artillery barrage from the fleet's mother ships its shields brought down to seventy eight percent. Their locks acquired and the destroyers entering optimum range, Vernok Krix opened fired volley after volley of triquantum torpedoes were allowed to set sail, as they found their marks. Some destroyers didn't even have time maneuver out of the way as fifteen triquantum torpedoes at a time found their mark on a single destroyer, some being ripped apart as torpedoes pierced right through hitting other ships nearby.   
  
Fourteen seperate destroyer groups effectuated strifing assaults on the starbase, firing their forward Larisa guns on the starbase's shields. The starbase returned fire with phaser discharges that destroyed some of the destroyers strafing, but the starbase was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of vessels in the area. The torpedoes found their marks on some of the bigger mother ships, taking out a Selevenar class battleship, as phasers concentrated their firing upon the destroyers that were continually strafing the starbase. The shields allowed a color display in space, as they continually held up against weapons fire. But at this rate, the shields couldn't be expected to hold forever. The first shield was about to fail.   
  
"Damage report!" Gul Arnek demanded as she fell out of her chair, one of the consoles nearby exploading.   
  
"First shields are down to twenty percent and failing, a second destroyer group is attempting a strafing run!" The Tactical Officer shouted.   
  
"Casualties reported on Decks 4 and 3, Med-Teams on their way," The Damage Control Officer replied.   
  
"Diverting emergency power to the shields to compensate for power parity losses."   
  
"Concentrate phaser and torpedo fire on the strafing destroyers, whenever you have a clear shot have a go at the mother ships!"   
  
Vernok Krix's torpedo bays readjusted as they fired on the attacking destroyers, phasers seconding their assault. An entire destroyer group of fifteen Mary-Rosbourg class destroyers were instantly destroyed. Admiral Ulixes' vessel, as well as several of the Styx mother ships were powering up their most feared weapon. Destroyers were convering in a pincer maneuver that was designed to distract the attention of Vernok Krix. The maneuver worked, Vernok Krix's phaser arrays realligned and fired on the destroyers as the Styx mother ships fired their big guns. The first shields failed, allowing the second shields to activate in their place, taking most of the pounding. Vernok Krix shook heavily as officers were thrown off their chairs. Gul Arnek knew that weapon wasn't normal, she looked over the sensor readings. The weapons had discharged something that was twice the power level of the Monarchy's most powerful Larisa gun... She looked over, those weren't Segan ships.   
  
"Reallign torpedoes, Tactical," Gul Arnek glared at the viewscreen staring at the more than five thousand seven hundred vessels still remaining afloat defiantly, "Get those mother ships out of my sky."   
  
Two minutes away, the Cardassian-S.M.U. fleet was approaching at maximum impulse speeds. All seven hundred and fity of the Galor-refit class starships were preparing for the battle at hand alongside their one hundred fifty allies. As they dropped out of impulse, they opened fire additional megaton torpedoes that had been stocked in their hangars in the even of a large invasion like this one. The torpedoes caught the enemy fleet by surprise as two of the megaton torpedoes crashed onto the mother ships. More of the megaton torpedoes crashed into the lead vessels, unprotected by their escorts that were continually completing their strafing runs. Admiral Ulixes knew he had the Cardassian S.M.U. fleet where he wanted them. He ordered the second task force to initiate the run, as immediately two thousand five hundred destroyers, half of the invading fleet pulled away and headed past the fleet and the Starbase. Vernok Krix attempted to destroy as many of the destroyers that were flying overhead, taking out twenty of the destroyers.   
  


- - - - -   
  


In charge of the combined Cardassian and Supreme Militants' Union fleet was a young Captain the age of twenty-five. He had performed brilliantly during the Styx War and had earned his mark under the command of the Cunningham, the vessel that had defeated the Pacifica-C during combat drills. Now, his ego swelled, he was about to lead this one thousand ship task force into what he hoped would be ultimate victory. He spotted the two thousand ship task force heading straight for Cardassia Prime, and he saw his opening. They were performing a flanking tactical maneuver that they could cut off. He had his tactical officer place the battle on screen.   
  
"I'm hoping Vernok Krix can hold out," Captain Takagushimi announced as he looked over to his navigations officer, "Have the fleet intercept them at coordinates 241 mark 88, engage at maximum impulse."   
  
The Captain had done exactly what the Styx and the Segan military strategists had hoped he would do. As the Styx fleet maneuvered in a wide circle around the mine fields. The Cardassian and S.M.U. fleet saild straight towards it hoping to cut the advancing Sego-Styx fleet off by using the old theorem the shortest distance between two points can be accomplished through a straight line. Before the Captain could realize what he was doing, his ship having gathered too much momentum, ship after ship of his task force flew into the mining field established by the thirty mine-layers that had gotten through. As they cleared the mining field, half of the S.M.U. task force remained aloft, and only two hundred Galor Class starships survived the trip. They now stared at the guns of two thousand five hundred Destroyers that could easily decimate the surviving tatters of of the S.M.U. Cardassian fleet.   
  
"Retreat back to Cardassia Prime," Captain Takagushimi ordered, he was defeated for the first time by the Styx.   
  
Vernok Krix's fourth shield had been taken down, it only had one more and it wouldn't be enough. It had destroyed five hundred vessels, just like the combat-drills had predicted. The combat drills, however, were wrong... They hadn't expected a combined assault from two different powers. The six-thousand fleet starship had arrived to overwhelm Vernok Krix and they were ready to put an end to this battle. The Styx mother ships locked on to Vernok Krix as they fired another volley of their massive weapons. Vernok Krix's last shield held out against three such attacks, but now it failed, the massive weapon finding the hull of Vernok Krix and tearing a portion of it off. The destroyers locked on with their triquantum torpedoes and fired four volleys, as Vernok Krix's hull succumbed, tumbling into itself as the dual fusion cores exploaded. Vernok Krix had been defeated, and all that was stopping the still massive Sego-Styx Fleet was a mere three hundred vessels.   
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	28. Chapter 27

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 27  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
Additional Writing Credits to Space Marshall Nelson  
  
_

  


Captain Takagushimi's tattered fleet went ahead for another wave of assaults on the enemy fleet entering the system that held within it Cardassia Prime. The fleet that had once been almost a thousand ships had been decimated to one tenth its size as it tried to slow down the enemy advance. Captain Takagushimi knew he had failed in his mission and that for once he had been defeated. For the first time he could smell death as he breathed in ordering the impossible to be accomplished. Reinforcements were on their way, he knew they were but he didn't know when and until those reinforcements arrived, his only mission rested in protecting Cardassia Prime at all cost. In one blow, one mistaken tactical maneuver, he had ordered his entire fleet into a mine field that had been laid exactly where the enemy had wanted him to sail. His ship had barely made it through, the Cunningham class starship would need at least four months in dry dock to repair.   
  
According to the ship schematics, half of the systems that weren't working were supposed to be vital to the Cunningham class starship's operation. But despite all of this, the ship was continuing to lead the tattered fleet, awaiting for the much needed reinforcement. The mix of ships constructed to the letter by Sego-Federation designs were some of the most advanced vessels. These ships had made up the bulk of peacekeeping forces dispatched by the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers and now they were fighting to accomplish just that, keep the peace at all cost. The enemy fleet slowed down as they approached the second planet. They had entered the range for the Styx mother ships to open fire on the planet.   
  
"Have the fleet regroup and prepare for another run, #1," The Captain of the Cunningham ordered as he turned his head to the Operations Manager, "Report, why have they slowed down?!?"   
  
"I'm reading a massive energy building up on some of the capital ships," The Operations Manager turned to the Captain, "I think they're preparing to attack Cardassia Prime herself."   
  
"Attack!" The Captain's heart and pride broke as his ship reentered the battle, the three hundred starships attempted to knock down some of the capital ships before they could get a shot in.   
  
The three hundred starships' torpedoes were aimed at the capital ships as they futily attempted to destroy the capial ships that were heavily defended by the destroyer groups. Some of the vessels exploaded before they even made it into weapons range, their hulls crashing into the shields of the capital ships. The capital ships ignored the attacking task force as the tatters escaped from the other side of their strafing run. A quarter of their ships were destroyed. The capital ships were almost ready to open their artillery barrage, their most powerful guns ready arme dand locked. As the task force again initiating a strafing run, taking down only two of the Styx battleships, within fifteen minutes, the Cunningham was but a hulk in space. The last forty five surviving vessels withdrawing away from the fleet.   
  
The capital ships opened fire their large and wide blue energy blasts that hit Cardassia Prime. A massive explosion could heard on Cardassia Prime as the air raid alarms sounded, calling all civilians to run to their shelters. In an instant, daily life was interrupted as the sound of energy beams hitting defense installations could heard. The ground shook in many places that day as the installations firmly grounded to the soil were ripped. The capital ships continued plucking at each defense installation unsuspecting that the more time they took, the less damage they would incur. Having already entered Cardassian space, the S.M.U. Ghost Fleet had arrived having pushed the limits of their hypertranswarp engines. Having all anti-sensor detection systems on, they were about to catch the Styx at their own game of hide and go seek.   
  


- - - - -  
  


Space Marshall Nelson was sitting in command of the Triumph, he glanced over to his Chief of Operations, "Report?"   
  
Defont turned his chair , after reading a sensor analysis, he summarized, "Reading enemy fleet bombarding Cardassia Prime, bearing 212 mark 73. They've taken out Vernok Krix and our expeditionary forces. Jeezus, I'm reading over four thousand starships! I didn't even know they had that many ships in their fleet!"   
  
"Red Alert, I want all fighters up in 10 minutes," Nelson shouted feeling his body tense at the impending arrival of battle, "Prepare long range weapons, and have the SMU fleet attack the larger ships on my mark."   
  
Captain Davidson glanced over his console as he tapped open communications with the Triumph, "S.R.D. Clarel to Triumph, Clarel Destroyers are ready to enter battle on your mark. We'll follow your lead."   
  
Nelson nodded, "Let's kick some Styx."  
  
The Tactical Officer too nodded to the Space Marshall as he activated the red alert lights bringing the entire crew to battlestations. He as well armed all weapons, hearing the Space Marshall's order to "Fire," "Octum torpedoes away."   
  
The Space Marshall stared the viewscreen seeing his fleet converging on the attack poster, "I want all ships to fire now!"   
  
Following the orders of the Space Marshall, the Clarel followed by the first of Clarel destroyer wolfpacks maneuvered right into the heart of the destroyer escort defense. The engines whined melodically as the Space Marshall's message was recieved, allowing for the Clarels to open fire with their main guns, trying to disperse the lead destroyer escort. Defont turned to his Space Marshall, "Message sent, all vessels firing."   
  
Nelson swiftly turned to the Science consoles in a corner of the Bridge, "Find the Segan command ship!"   
  
The Science specialist took a moment to scan and quickly reported back with his thoughts, "Space Marshall, reading the Segan command ship bearing 2498 mark 11. It's a planet-killer battleship type."   
  
Nelson thought a moment trying to plan the assault strategically, "Okay, all fighters from the Triumph, Tarawa, and Pandora's Box  
concentrate on taking it out."   
  
Captain Davidson had found time to communicate with the Triumph, "We'll give your fighters some cover fire, trying to give the capita ships a clear shot at enemy battleships."   
  
"Understood," Nelson replied to the communications turning to his crew, "Let's draw those ships away from the planet!"   
  
Defont held onto his console as the Triumph began to shake, "We've been hit by the defending destroyers of the Styx battleships, forward shields down to eighty-seven percent!"   
  
Nelson's response to the shake was pure laughter, "Return fire..."  
  
"Splash one battleship, our fighters are doing some nice puncturing work," The Tactical Officer commented as he fired another volley of octum torpedoes.   
  
"Prepare the cloaked torpedoes," Nelson paused, "This is the best place to them out, wouldn't you say?"   
  
"Agreed sir," The Tactical Officer loaded the cloaked torpedoes into the torpedo launchers, "Torpedoes locked onto the Segan flagship."  
  
"Fire!" Nelson ordered.   
  
"Torpedoes away," The tactical officer tapped onto his console, firing the torpedoes at the Segan flagship, two of the shots being picked up by unsuspecting destroyers.   
  
Nelson turned to his communications officer, seeing some of the flanking lines getting a bit soft, "Have the second flottila "jump" the other side of those ships, so we can trap them between our two forces."   
  
Defont braced seeing a group of torpedoes heading their way, "They're countering, fourteen Clarel Class destroyers have been destroyed!"   
  
"FUCK, We've got fightercrafts coming from the rear, they've gone past our interceptors!" The Tactical Officer exclaimed, seeing his tactical readouts pickup a large fighter-intercept task force.   
  
"Anti-Starfighter Cover," Nelson ordered as meanwhile the other side of Cardassia Prime the 2nd Flottila composed primarily of Selevenar Class heavy battleships and Supreme Militants' Union fast destroyer squadrons jumped into the Cardassian Star system appearing from red transwarp nexi. They began engaging the fightercrafts tht were flying around.   
  
Meanwhile, the tactical officer was having a hard time keeping up as he maintained fire, "Aye, Space Marshall, anti-starfighter cover now. Those fighters have taken down fifteen more Clarel destroyers, there's a whole in our escort."   
  
"How's that command vessel fairing," Nelson asked turning to Science for a response.   
  
The Science specialist made a quick scan as he turned around, "Their aft shields are at 35%, forward shields are down... They're preparing a volley against a strafing Clarel class destroyer group."   
  
"Call back the Tarawa to hold our flanks, keep their fighters in the mix of things, though," The Space Marshall commanded, seeing the exposure in the flank as potentially dangerous.   
  
"Aye, they're trying to get megaton bombs in the right places on some of those capital ships."   
  
The Selevenar, in command of the 2nd Flottila contacted the Triumph, having found space for a comunications, "We've got a weapomn we'd like to test out, can you give us a shot?"   
  
Nelson's interest peaked sent a reply, "Go right ahead, we'll cover you. Have the 435th squadron divert to back up the Selevenar Battleships."   
  
The power readings of a group of Selevenar Class battleships fluctuated momentarily as the big Larisa guns prepared to open fire. The Selevenar Class Heavy Battleship's pointed nose, from where the Larisa energy beam was to originate activated pulsing in reaction to the energy being fed through it. One by one, on each of the three sides of the triangular point, the Larisa gun pulse formed into one massive pulse. Within a ten seconds a massive Larisa gun pulse had been fired at some of the Styx battleships. Immediately, the Selevenar Class battleship's energy readings lowered, but in their midst their weapons had worked. The Triumph's sensors picked up on the targetted vessels a decrease in shields of a factor of 20%.   
  
"Holy crud," Nelson muttered, "Now that's a weapon."   
  
The S.R.D Clarel didn't waste anytime contacting the Triumph, "We're reading a gap in the defenses, bearing 249 mark 11, we've got enough Clarel Destroyers to cover you if you want to push your way through the hole."   
  
Nelson turned to the Tactical console in response to the communications, "I want our plasma weapons online, now!" he then turned ot the helmsman, "You heard the man, lets get this bucket in there."  
  
He tapped communications opened with the S.M.U. flagships, "Follow our lead and keep firing!"   
  
The Tactical Officer looked over, "It's going to take some time, give me fifteen seconds to realign the array."   
  
The Clarel chimed in, "Ready on your mark," In the vicinity of the Clarel, the destroyers prepared their impulse engines for a rapid impulse maneuver burst into the hole.   
  
"Engage!" The Triumph followed by 3 Clarel wolfpacks and four  
other SMU capital ships and their escort began their flanking position, their impulse engines firing wildly as they entered.   
  
"When we have plasma weapons online...target the command ship," Nelson reminded his Tactical Officer.   
  
"Plasma weapons online... We're locked onto the Styx and Segan command ships," The Tactical Officer replied.   
  
"FIRE!"   
  
The Triumph fired its plasma weapons taking down the Segan flagship in one burst and heavily damaging the Styx one,"OOoh yeah! Direct hit! The Segan flagship is out of action!" The Tactical Officer cheered.   
  
"YES! Those CSR eggheads are getting a payhike," Nelson exclaimed, "Finish off the Styx command ship. All fighters... Engage!"   
  
The Tactical Officer realigned the plasma weapons and fired another shot at the Styx flagship, " Their port and aft shields are down."   
  
Defont stared at his console as it shook profusively from energy discharging onto the Triumph's shields, " Direct hit, casualties reported on Decks 14 and 15. Forward shields are down to 15%, Space Marshall!"   
  
"Turn her around and fight backward if you have to!" Nelson muttered as he ordered, "Send damage control teams."   
  
Defont smirked at the joke, "Aye, Space Marshall, DCT's are on their way!"   
  
The Tactical Officer reported some good news, "Selevenar's flanking us and giving us some cover fire, the Styx command ship's destroyed. We're seeing a major collapse in their counter-attack effort!"  
  
Nelson tapped communications open to the fleet, " Now try and spread them out! Isolate and annihilate!"   
  
The entire fleet followed the Space Marshall's order to the letter. Having kept in tight wolfpacks that had allowed them to pierce through the cubic defensive strategy of the Sego-Styx fleet, the fleet was now going one on one. The more than five thousand ships in the Sego-S.M.U. fleet marked their targets as they spread out across the Cardassian Star System, allowing the battle to become more person. The Sego-Styx fleet felt the pressure as it found trouble regrouping under the massive decentralization of the Sego-Styx fleet. The Space-Marshall knew that he had the best people in his fleet, it would only be a matter of time before they won.   
  
"We got them spread out like butter and pancake!"   
  
"Four Clarel class destroyer groups have been destroyed, detecting new fightercrafts of unknown clas. They must be a new class of fighter, we've not seen it before, Space Marshall. They're packing quite a punch, "Defont reported, as he watched thirteen more Clarel Class destroyers expload right under his eyes.   
  
"That's it..." The Space Marshall became more angered, "Time to call in the cavalry."   
  
"The Cavalry, Space Marshall?" The Tactical Officer watched the viewscreen firing a new wave of anti-fightercraft weaponry.   
  
"The Hokian Republic is committing 200 Dragon class heavy fighters," The Space Marshall replied.   
  
He contacted the Hokian Expeditionary Force lying in wait for her signal to join in, "Triumph to Missouri. We need those Dragons!"   
  
The detection of a new jump by the Triumph and the Sego-Styx fleet broke the Sego-Styx fleet's last hope of morale, "Reading a jump forming in, it's a Hokian Expiditionary Force."   
  
'Have them engage those "fighters," Nelson asked his Communications Officer to relay.   
  
"They're spreading out and complying to your orders," The Tactical Officer couldn't believe his eyes, "We've got them, they're initiating a fighting retreat!"   
  
"Have everyone take out as many ships as possible before they retreat," Nelson ordered.   
  
"I'm not reading a single Segan vessel, we've destroyed Vladimir's fleet, Space Marshall, we did it!" Defont cheered as he watched the sensor scans show all Segan ships destroyed.   
  
Nelson allowed a smile to grace his face, "Congratulations!"   
  
The Tactical Officer turned from his console observing the Styx effort, "One hundred Styx vessels arrived to make it out, Space Marshall. We're not reading a single enemy vessel in the Cardassian star system. We won!"   
  
The Clarel was first to contact, "Space Marshall, Captain Davidson here. On behalf of the Segan Monarchy, congratulations."   
  
"Congratulations Captain," Nelson replied, "Raise the Selevenar, we've done it!"   
  
"Selevenar please response, Triumph here."   
  
"Youri Rosbourg here," The Selevenar replied, with the Crown Prince in command, "What can we do for you, other than pay you off a handsome sum when we get back home, Space Marshall?"   
  
"We only wish to see the Segan and Cardassian Monarchies prosper again," Nelson smiled content of his work.   
  
His Majesty the Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg was eager to celebrate by saying hello to Catherine Defont, Thanks to you, Space Marshall. It will, our Monarchies will definetely prosper again. Thank you... I'm going to beam down to the planet. You're welcome to visit Cardassia. Selevenar Out."   
  
And so ended one pivotal battle, a battle of ten thousand starships that together faced the battle between the forces of light and evil. The storms, however, lasted only shortly. Almost a thousand five hundred starships were destroyed that day, on each, at least three hundred people dead. Dolce et decorum est pro patria morti.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	29. Chapter 28

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 28  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


"Sensors aren't detecting any sign of the remnants of the enemy fleet, Space Marshall," The Supreme Militants' Union's coordinator announced after a several day search of the Cardassian star system, "I think we can safely assume they aren't coming back."   
  
"They aren't coming back... for a while," The Space Marshall replied ominously as the S.M.U. fleet assumed orbit over Cardassia Prime. They had saved Cardassia once again from the evils that the Styx were attempting to force upon her.   
  
On the streets of Cardassia Prime, the tension which had been present here just a few days before had dissapeared in an instant. With security forces given the go-ahead to leave the defense shelters that had been hastily assembled during the planetary bombardment that the Styx had arrived to hold for half an hour. Her Majesty the Princess Catherine Defont was the first to emerge from the shelters as she graced the streets inspecting the damage done to the capital city of Cardassia Prime. Within a few moments of her leaving her shelter, the medical shelters were opened, allowing the nurses and doctors to bring the most seriously injured patients to the hospitals of Cardassia. Catherine Defont sighed as she watched her body gards surround her as more and more people were allowed out of the shelters and began to stream onto the streets.   
  
The city skyline was partial damaged, with some of the buildings still in flames. Damage control crews would soon be out trying to salvage whatever buildings they could. The barrage that the Styx had put the Cardassian cities through was extremely short and the damage would be fixed within a few months. Catherine Defont smiled and looked over head, seeing the dots that were circling the planet. The Space Marshall had accomplished everything he had promised. He had found the Ghost Fleet, he had saved Cardassia from her enemies, and soon His Majesty the Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg would be back at Chinon to reclaim his throne. Everything would soon be back where things should have been.   
  
The Segan Civil War was over, the Vladimirian fleet decimated by the Ghost Fleet and the allies of Vladimir Rosbourg withdrawing with their tails in between their legs. The Ghost Fleet would soon depart, she was informed, as they were needed to head towards Chinon. The Church, which had been an ally of Youri, had attempted to slow as much as possible the crowning ceremonies of Vladimir Rosbourg and now that Youri would soon be returned, the Church wanted to crown him as quickly as possible. Waiting for the Crown Prince's arrival was also Alexander Rosbourg, the son of Vladimir Rosbourg. He was the heir to the Vladimirian dynasty but Catherine had quickly understood that there existed a special relation between Alexander and Youri that would make the healing process much more rapid and firm. She was happy that everything was returning to the way things should be, and she looked forward to continuing her work rebuilding Cardassian to her previous stature.   
  
"Space Marshall Nelson, Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg here," Youri Rosbourg glanced over to the Captain of the Selevenar, "Ghost Fleet's ready to head back to Chinon. I would like to extand my invitation for your presence at the homeworld."   
  
"The Supreme Militants' Union accepts your invitation," Space Marshall Nelson replied, "We'll follow your lead, S.M.U. out."   
  
"Send a message to Cardassia Prime, inform them we are heading out of the system," Captain Anderson ordered to his communications officer, "Ready to depart on your orders, your Majesty."   
  
"Engage at your pleasure, Captain," Youri Rosbourg replied as he stared at the debris field in front of him. His heart strained for a moment as he watched the three hundred Clarel Class destroyers destroyed during the battle, closer to the Federation border would also lay the debris field of the Cardassian fleet and Vernok Krix, all destroyed, everywhere the dark reminder of the civil war remained aloof, "I'm going to go back to my quarters, keep me appraised of any new developments."   
  
"Understood your Majesty," Captain Anderson replied as he bowed to his sovereign.   
  
"Oh you don't have to do that," Youri blushed, looking over at the Captain for a moment, "Good job out there."   
  
"Your father made it possible, your Majesty," Captain Anderson, "We owed you this victory."   
  
Youri looked at Captain Anderson for a moment again and then turned around, walking into the turbolift. The ordeal of the past seven months were all too quick, and too incomprehensible for him to remember. His father's dissapearance, his close ascendance to the throne, the civil war... the camps. The only thing that made sense to him was his Alexander. His father had warned him to be most careful if he fell in love with a man, he cautioned to him that the testosterone made them less dependable and to always have a woman around to advise. His mind drifted back to Edward, his cousin who had sacrified his life in order to ensure the continuation of the lineage. There was Joan La Chercheur, Captain Daniels, Emilie, the Space Marshall. They had all fought for him, they had all helped him when he most needed it. How could he ever pay them back for the work they had done?   
  
"By simply ensuring the future of your people, the future of peace, my son," Charles replied, as he touched his son.   
  
Youri frightened screamed at the top of his lungs, continuing to scream for five minutes as his frightened soul quickly turned off his screaming valves.   
  
"Are you quite done, son?" Charles smiled, "Yes, I'm here, and yes, you're seen me, and no I am not here to stay."   
  
Youri looked at his father, "It's you? It's really you?!?"   
  
"Yes, it's really me, in flesh and blood," Charles thought about the cliche for a moment, "Well, kind of... The Quadaz have allowed me to visit you."   
  
"I'm happy to see you," Youri walked over to his father and embraced him, "I missed you, I needed you so much and you weren't there."   
  
"I was there," Charles spoke back, softly, "And I saw you struggle, and find love. I will always be with you, and I am sorry that you had to be left alone... But fate ran its intended course, and now you must stand firm and strong, and rebuild that which has been destroyed better and stronger."   
  
"Why didn't you say anything?" Youri watched him, not comprehending that his father had become a Q, a supreme being, "So many people have died."   
  
"The Quadaz work in mysterious ways," Charles embraced his son, "And I must now work in those mysterious ways as well. You've done well, we are pleased with you... You must now trust yourself to build the future which you have been destined to build.   
  
  
"When do you leave?" Youri smiled, "Will you be present when I return to the Selevenar Galaxy?"   
  
"I leave now, but I will never have really left," Charles looked at Youri, pausing to try to understand, "I am everywhere without being everything... It's hard to explain."   
  
"I won't try to understand," Youri broke their embrace and kissed his father, "Adieu. I understand you must leave... So before I change my mind and threaten to kill myself so you can stay, you better go."   
  
Charles smiled, "My good good son, I miss you so much... Be strong, be good, be yourself for your sake and that of our people."   
  
"Good bye, father," Youri closed his eyes, when he reopened them, his father was gone.   
  


- - - - -   
  


Alexander awoke refreshed after twelve hours of sleep. It had helped to restore his energy sources that he had allowed to drain as he awaited word on whether or not Youri has survived the battle. He couldn't believe his lover would have chosen to be in the heat of battle when he had never carried a sword. He was a dancer prince, not a fighting one, Alexander argued to himself. Alexander looked at his bedroom, which would soon be returned to Youri as this was originally his bedroom. Alexander smirked, things were going back to the way things were supposed to be. His prayers were answered, and those who led his father's invasion would soon return home to the Segan Popular Union. Alexander looked outside, seeing the gray clouds now gone. A warm sunshine filled the wet land, as outside he could see some of the servants' children playing.  
  
Yesterday, the S.P.N.N. network was reactivated and was once again broadcasting news from all four corners of the Segan Monarchy. S.P.N.N. hadn't found out yet of the battle that had taken place in the Cardassian Monarchy and it would be his duty during his audio-visual press release later today to inform everyone what had transpired. He never felt his skills as a public speaker were all too great, but he knew that he would have to make his best speech to ensure reconciliation between the S.P.U. and the Segan Monarchy could take place. For once, it would the institutions moving faster than the people rather than the institutions being slower. There needed, quickly, a change in policies, changes that would make sure a civil war like this would not be possible.   
  
Alexander looked at the clothes which had been left for him, freshly pressed by the palace's servants. It was the most beautiful and expansive of his clothes, his father had them bought for his coronation. Alexander knew his father wouldn't mind that he would use them for this purpose. This speech would be the commencement of the healing a process, one which as soon as Youri got his behind over here could continue in strength. This civil war as entire mistake, and it was a mistake which the new leaders in love with one another would have to fix. They came from very different backgrounds, but they understood the respect they had for each other when they looked into their eyes. Alexander missed Youri so much, he had everything planned for the day after he got back, from morning until midnight no one better disturb them.  
  
He was now draped in his royal clothings, and Alexander felt instantly more powerful. He stepped out, seeing his two servants ready to adjust whatever needed adjusting. A touch at the crown, a brushing of his hair, adding of make-up and he was ready to go. Followed by his two body guards, Alexander walked down the steps of the Arnouville Palace. He was now at the grand hall of the palace that led to the two wings of the Palace, and in front, he could already see assembled the people who wanted to hear his speech and the media. His spokesman was already there answering some questions about no doubt his father's pasing away, but he knew his moment to shine was soon at hand. He gathered all his strength, and nodded to his bodyguard as they proceeded to open the glass doors.   
  
"Aaah, here he is now," The spokesman smiled, "His Majesty the Crown Prince Alexander Rosbourg."   
  
Alexander could hear the loud trumpet fanfare as he walked down the steps that led to the podium. He could see the royal guardsmen in full dress uniform holding back the crowds. So, here were the people that had listened to his father's commands for such a short time. Segans, Alexander reasoned, switched alliegances as quickly as the winds changed directions. He loved them very dearly, their faith in their leadership was unmatched, unquestioned, and beautiful. Youri was lucky to have a chance to rule upon such wonderful people. He arrived at the podium, putting on his best political smile as he waved to the crowds. After a few moments, he began to say thank you as he tried to calm the crowds. After a few moments, the entire crowd was quiet.   
  
"I am here to announce that the Segan Popular Union and the Segan Monarchy are seperate states again," Alexander could see the questioning glances as the crowd began to break into small mumbles, "The invasion of the Segan Monarchy by the Segan Popular Union is over."   
  
The crowd broke into cheers, "His Majesty the Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg was saved by the heroics of many of his subjects. In command of the Ghost Fleet, he is on his way back here where I will return control of his territories to him the moment he arrives. The Segan Popular Union wishes to apologize for those who lost their lives fighting for the defense of their nation from the tyrannies that would seek to challenge our two great nations. I call that as the new leader of the Segan Popular Union, we made a grave mistake, a mistake which will take time to amend and fix but which I hope we together can change. Our people were brought into war because we for so many years had thought each other different. But we are neither different nor enemies, we are brothers and sisters. We must make sure this never occurs again and I ask will you, the people of the Segan Monarchy forgive us? Nothing can bring back the lives of htose lost during the civil war, but we can make sure those lives weren't lost for nothing. We invite you to come to the table of peace, in order to share our stories, and to become closer so that one day we can forget our differences and embrace our similarities. I thank you for listening today, I have nothing else to say."   
  
The people assembled were in a state of shock as the cameras remained trained firmly on Alexander who had just completed his speech. Alexander stood uncomfortably behind the podium, as he hoped for a reaction from the people. As he prepared to turn around, he heard a single clap coming from somewhere in the audience. The single clap was repeated, another clap joined in. Within a few minutes the entire audience was clapping and cheering profusively as Alexander turned around with tears in his eyes. They had heard what he had said and they had understood it and embraced it. If they could do it with one speech, he was certain it could be done with perseverence. He was sure he'd have his lover's support on this project of reconciliation. He waved to the crowd, crying profusively of joy. He turned around and walked back towards the palace.   
  
"Here your Majesty," a hand offered a napkin to His Majesty Crown Prince Vladimir Rosbourg.   
  
"Thank you," Vladimir looked up, his eyes bulging, "Charles!"   
  
"Nicely done," Charles shook his hand, "No one sees me here, except you. Take care of my son, and take care to build a better future."   
  
"I will sir," Vladimir smiled warmly, "Thank you."   
  
"No, Thank you for saving my son and my Monarchy," Charles nodded, and dissapeared in a snap of a finger.   
  


  


  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	30. Chapter 29

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 29  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


"'Ten-Hut!" The head royal guardsmen shouted as the motorcade arrived from the Chinon shuttle port.   
  
With police sirens wailing like a cackling symphony, the motorcade of three police motorcycles, four police cars, two limos, and again four four police cars and three motorcycles turned into the long driveway that led to the palace. As the motorcade cleared into Arnouville, the gates were closed leaving behind a mass of news reporters and fans of the Crown. The police sirens turned silents as the lights continue to blink in an interlude of blues and reds shifting from side to side. Youri Rosbourg watched from the back of the limousine, looking at the Arnouville Palace that his family had been forced to leave some seven months ago. Right now, they were being freed from the horrible camps that had been established by Alexander's father, and orders were being sent to free all political prisoners. Youri had watched the S.P.N.N. news broadcast yesterday evening and had seen his lover concede defeat, he had never had this much pride for his significant other.   
  
He looked expectingly at the entrance of the Arnouville Palace, as the motorcade passed Royal Guardsmen after Guardsmen. They were all assembled in two straight lines at the border where the grass met the gravel. They all held their salute as the motorcade went by them slowly as the return of His Majesty the Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg was handled with full attention to ceremonious detail. There was irony in the making, having been left out of the light of royalty for seven months and having been forced into the camps, he felt that he had lost a key part of him, a vital key that fed straight into his effectiveness at leading the Segan people. He was continually remembering the camps and how he had been broken and violated. He sighed, shaking for a few seconds as he felt fear build up into him. The motorcade came to a stop.   
  
The sun was up again, signalling high noon as it spread its warmth throughout the land. It had worked to do soaking up all the rain that had been dropped over the days of thunderstorms, but every meteorologist on the planet signalled the rest of the month would be fairly sunny for Arnouville. The head royal guardsmen took a moment to look at the sun as he saluted the motorcade that was now awaiting in front of them. Alexander too was standing next to the guardsman hoping he would soon see his lover. The driver opened his door and moved to open Youri Rosbourg's door. First Youri's legs were the ones to exit and touch the royal land of the Palace, then the rest of his body followed.   
  
Youri turned around, unbelieving it was happening as he cleared out of the way, allowing Space Marshall Nelson to walk out as well. He exchanged a few words with the Space Marshall as he turned around and gave Alexander a very warm wave. Youri Rosbourg nodded to the Space Marshall, as the two walked up the ten grand stairs that led to where Alexander had made his speech. Youri Rosbourg smiled to Alexander as he shook the head royal guardsman's hand. He gave him a warm congratulations on his work, and that his assembling of the entire royal guard staff was something he appreciated very dearly. He then proceeded to thank him for what he had done to facilitate the exchange between him and Edward. He was a true servant of the Crown, and would be amply rewarded for it.   
  
"You may dismiss the Guard," Youri instructed as he nodded for the Space Marshall to come next to him.   
  
"Aye, your Majesty," The Guardsman turned around, "Royal Guard, Left Face!" He paused momentarily, "Disssssmissed!"   
  
"And how are you?" Youri embraced Alexander.   
  
"Much better now that you're here," Alexander whispered into Youri's ear, "Whose the man you brought with you? Competition?"   
  
"Definetely not," Youri smiled, "This my good sir, is Space Marshall Nelson, fearless leader of the Supreme Militants' Union and supreme savior of the Segan Monarchy."   
  
"My word, he is important," Alexander joked as he extanded a hand to the Space Marshall, "Alexander Rosbourg, I'm the son of the one responsible for this entire mess."   
  
"Your heroism allowed for the return of Youri, we won't forget this act on your part, Your Majesty," The Space Marshall shook Alexander's hand.   
  
Youri was now in the middle of the group as he turned around, watching the Arnouville skyline. He was home, and there was peace brewing. Soon, they'd be able to unlock the huge amount of Tholian money that had been given to them for their exchange for non-interference in a dispute between the Tholian and the I.A.P. The money would be used to rebuild the Segania Prime, changing the capital from a refugee base into the grandest planet in the galaxy. There was so much work to be done, there was also a grand plan to suggest to Alexander the moment they had some time alone. Youri turned to the Space Marshall, they had had a long voyage and both needed time to rest and reflect on the battle, their successes. This was a victory for the Supreme Militants' Union as well, it had showed them dependable to their allies, dangerous to their enemies. They were excellent searchers, and even better fighters, just like the Intergalactic Alliance's fleet had been designed and dreamed up.   
  
"Space Marshall, I'll have my servants attend to your every needs," Alexander smiled turning to two of his servants, "If you need anything, want to do any touring, please feel free. I must steal Youri for a little while so I can give him a warmer welcome."   
  
The Space Marshall understanding what was being suggested nodded, "Certainly."   
  
As the Space Marshall was guided into the Arnouville Palace, Alexander pecked Youri on the cheek and took his hand to guide him inside. Alexander didn't care that SPNN wanted to interview him, Youri would be exhausted by the end of their activities anyway. Alexander smiled, running up the stairs followed closely by Youri Rosbourg. As they arrived at the door in front of Youri's room, Alexander turned around kissing the other Prince stopping him dead in his tracks. One of them struggled to open the door, trying to keep every part of each other's body in close contact with one another. They parted kisses only to take quick breaths as they laughed, entering into the door pushing each other closer to the bed. Their kissing was now broken by their desire for more, their clothes taken off in between their loving kisses. As they hit the bed together, they knew they had found one another, and would never let go for as long as they lived.   
  


- - - - -   
  


"Mmmm, you were after something yesterday," Youri laughed as he got up from the bed the next morning.   
  
"I was not," Alexander grinned, grabbing something to wear to make it look like he had at least had a few decent hours of sleep, "You owed me anyway."   
  
"I'll always owe you," Youri turned around, looking past the windows of his room, seeing the gardens of the palace, "And I like the idea of that."   
  
"You and I have way too much fun together," Alexander walked over to him, embracing him from behind as his head rested on Youri's shoulders, kissing his neck passionately, "But, we've got work to do you know."   
  
"And we need to start on it, right away,"Youri watched Alexander, "I had a plan, and I wanted to talk to you about it. I don't want our people seperated ever again."   
  
"I feel the same way," Alexander kissed Youri's neck again, "I don't want you or I to be seperated again neither."   
  
"Exactly," Youri backed away from Alexander as he turned around in mid-thought, "What if there was only one Segan country? No more Cardassian Monarchy, no more Segan Popular Union, no more Segan Monarchy! Just... one!"   
  
"You know I'll support anything you want to do," Alexander looked at Youri, "But first, breakfast, then we talk, and then you have to host the Space Marshall."   
  
"You've got a deal," Youri looked into Alexander's seductive eyes as he kissed him, "Are you sure we can't just stay here?"   
  
"Shower, and I'm not joining you," Alexander laughed as he ran out of Youri's room, turning to Youri's servant, "His Majesty is taking a shower."   
  
Youri's body shifted to show Alexander his shock as he blushed bright red, "Out!! I'm not seeing you until breakfast!"   
  
Thirty minutes later, Youri Rosbourg was sitting one side of the grand dining table as Alexander Rosbourg was sitting on the opposite side entirely. The table, made out of stone and crystal was a long table able to sit twelve people, and it made Youri feel very distance from Alexander. Alexander smiled as he took some butter offered from the servant and placed it on his y'mirk, a Segan dish that was renowned for its bland taste but its filling qualities. Youri's mind was still ticking with his idea for the Segan nation. He watched Alexander, the worst was now over, he was now the leader of the Segan Monarchy, he was in love with the certain leader of the Segan Popular Union, and to top it all off, there was peace in the land.   
  
"So what did you have in mind, Youri?" Alexander, finishing his plate y'mirk asked as he was poured a cup of sinasappelsap,"It sounds interesting."   
  
"Well, I'm thinking that if we get Catherine over here we can start the work on merging our Monarchies together," Youri smiled, "We're good friends, and everything that runs in our countries are designed by the same Monarchial system. Merging the damn thing shouldn't be too hard."   
  
"I agree, but remember, we don't just have us three in our Monarchies, we've got to satisfy the legislation and the people," Alexander smiled thinking, "I have a proposation, your Majesty,"   
  
"And that is?"   
  
"What if we contacted Catherine and suggested a summit with all our legislators to discuss this proposal. Most of them are here anyway since your people are coming home from the camps, and my people are already here, Catherine can take hers along with her," Alexander smiled knowing his wisdom was being appreciated by Youri, "We convert the legislators, and then we can think about bigger things."   
  
"Jason," Youri glanced over to his lead servant, "Get a message to Catherine Defont, make it very official, inviting her to a summit here at Arnouville to discuss the future of the Segan Monarchies. Quickly, hurry! There's no time to loose!"   
  
  
  
  


  


  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	31. Chapter 30

_The Dancer Prince   
_Chapter 30  
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


Two weeks after the invitation was dispatched from the Arnouville Palace on Chinon, Catherine Defont and her Prime Minister, Maitre Wolf were well on their way to meet the sovereigns of the Segan Monarchy and the Segan Popular Union. The provincial government of the Cardassian Monarchy had solidified under the brave command of Prime Minister Wolf and the caring symbol of their head of state: Her Majesty the Princess Catherine Defont. She was a true woman, a caring woman who represented Segan elegance, style and empathy that was barely comparable. She was a beautiful woman as well, coming from the rich mixture of colors that made up the three royal families. She was slim, her body shaped like two triangles, their points touching one another.   
  
Prime Minister Wolf and Catherine Defont had allowed the two weeks aboard the Cardassian ship to develop a routine. Each evening at 21:00 hours, they met in Prime Minister Wolf's room to discuss the latest pressing issues of the Cardassian Monarchy, as well as reading the briefs sent to them by the Crown Princes. Catherine Defont enjoyed the dinners very much, it was a chance to spend some extra time with a man she admired. Prime Minister Wolf had engineered an economic recovery out of the Cardassians, and despite the loss of the bulk of the Cardassian Fleet as well as Vernok Krix... the Cardassians we're going to make it out all right. There were some tears to be shed on Cardassia Prime, but she was heading for Segania Prime to ensure happiness would quickly replace those tears.   
  
Over the past few days, however, Catherine had become distracted by something odd and unique. The dinners with Maitre Wolf were getting longer it seemed to her as they endlessly droned on about the pressing politics of the Cardassian Monarchy. She had become the leader of the Cardassian Monarchy not by choice but by necessity. When the Youri regime had fallen at Chinon, someone had to take over the banner in order to engineer a counter-invasion to the Segan Popular Union. She was the only royal family member on Cardassia at the time Chinon had fallen and was thus asked to become the Princess of Cardassia Prime. It was a lucky thing that Maitre Wolf hadn't been on Chinon when the assault came, for he had become an efficient Prime Minister whose decisions were well thought out, and fair.   
  
Catherine Defont didn't have many friends on Cardassia, she only had those interested in using her to further their gains, and those who disliked her outright. She was loved, sure enough, by the Cardassian people but this was because Maitre Wolf's work had succeeded. She felt like she was taking credit from the man she respected and she hoped that this summit would allow her to give Maitre Wolf unprecedented influence in the future of the Segan Monarchies. If she could honor Maitre Wolf in someway that he had already not been honored, she knew she could feel content and satisfied that Maitre Wolf knew she recognized all of the work he had done. Maitre Wolf and her had gone such a long way in such a short time, she felt safe in knowing Maitre Wolf was somewhere near to her.   
  
On this evening, the dinner had begun just like any of the other ones from the past two weeks. The Cardassian ship, escorted by four others like it were nearing the Segan Monarchy's temporary capital until Segania Prime could be rebuilt from the ashes of the last Styx War. Catherine Defont had become distant from Maitre Wolf's political words, though she felt she had become closer to his soul than ever before. She tried to stop herself from thinking about the prime minister in anything other than a professional setting but all she could see was a Cardassian beach with a sunset as Maitre Wolf and her danced quietly to some soft Cardassian music. History had made the Cardassians a hard people, whose greateness had been cut short... but their artistic capabilities were greatly underestimated by all who knew them. She turned her head to Maitre Wolf as her imagination was turned off. _  
  
_"Well, I've got to say Youri seems to have matured through the War, "Maitre Wolf stated as he enjoyed dinner with Catherine Defont, "His latest briefing on the ideas he's coming up with Prince Alexander are very impressive."   
  
Catherine Defont looked at Wolf, not interested in discussing either drafts of ideas or anything, over the past few days her mind had been wondering over Maitre Wolf himself, she gave an elongated sigh, "Mmm? What do the briefings say? I haven't had a chance to read the entire thing."   
  
"They're suggesting that we get through the peace treaty as fast as possible and start discussing the possibility of a united future," Maitre Wolf who was deeply fascinated by the proposal looked at Catherine, "The Cardassian Monarchy has to become pivotal in ensuring this... Can you imagine the market potential? Not to mention the political power we would be able to yield."   
  
Catherine Defont looked into Maitre Wolf's soft eyes as she contemplated a future without him, she couldn't bear to think of the possibility of Maitre Wolf not being her Prime Minister. Aside from their work, there was little that connected, yet she couldn't take her eyes off of him, "Mmmm, that's a nice thought, Mr. Wolf."   
  
Maitre Wolf grabbed some Cardassian bread as he spread it with strawberry jam from Earth, he had developped a taste for it during his tour of duty on the U.S.S. Pacifica-B, and had never forgotten the taste, "It's not just nice," he replied as he stuffed his mouth with the jammed bread, "It's necessary towards the survival of the Cardassian Monarchy."   
  
"Why do you say that?" She asked half-interested, "The Cardassians can stand on their own, I think."   
  
Maitre Wolf looked at Catherine Defont and smiled, "It can, but it doesn't have to. They've become Segans, we've given them a new chance at a golden age. They should remain an integral part of the Segan culture. And what if this thing succeeds? Then the Cardassians' promised golden age would return!"   
  
"I see what you mean," She stared at an image behind Maitre Wolf that portrayed two Cardassians seemingly together and seemingly being brushed away together, "The Cardassians certainly have a way with depicting romance. It's so beautiful."   
  
"Hmm?" Maitre Wolf's train of thought was quickly disrupted as he turned around to see the picture that she was staring at, "Oh---yes, you're right your Majesty."   
  
"Oh please," She grabbed some water and poured it into her cup as her eyes raised to meet Maitre Wolf's, "Don't call me your Majesty. It... I don't want to feel so distant from you. They say, in the royal family, that it only takes the words "your Majesty" to build a professional and social class barrier between your most dearest friends. I don't want that from me and you."   
  
"Sure," Maitre Wolf looked into Catherine's eyes, "Is there something wrong... err... Ms. Defont?"   
  
Catherine laughed as Maitre Wolf jumped from one title to the next, "Don't call me Ms. Defont, call me.... call me Catherine. I would really appreciate being called Catherine."   
  
"All right... Catherine," Maitre Wolf looked as he saw tears forming into Catherine's eyes. He wondered if there was something amiss, "Is there something wrong?"   
  
"No... not at all," Catherine wiped her eyes, "Oh dear, look at me... Can I use your restroom?"   
  
"Please, Catherine," Maitre Wolf rose from his seat as Catherine seemed to run for the restroom.   
  
As soon as Catherine entered the restroom her tears disappeared as she allowed her frusteration to escape from within her body. Why had it become so hard to just see Maitre Wolf in a professional matter? She heard his voice, making sure she was all right. She was warmed by his voice, feeling even more secure, even more safe than before. She allowed her insecurities to escape from her mind as each time she heard Maitre Wolf calling her Catherine instead of Her Majesty. She sighed, looking at her face in the mirror, she cleared her face from tears as she looked at the closed door. They had had enough dancing around the situation, she couldn't take another tango or ballet without him knowing. They had made it through a war together, surely they could make it through life as well. She walked back and opened the door seeing Maitre Wolf, she embraced him.   
  
"I love you, Maitre Wolf," Catherine Defont looked into Maitre Wolf's eyes seeing the same thing, "I've always loved you."   
  


- - - - -   
  


"On behalf of His Majesty Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg who is co-hosting this summit and myself, I would like to welcome you all on this beautiful morning to Arnouville, capital of Chinon, capital of the Segan Monarchy. The Segan Popular Union and the Segan Monarchy, having had to settle our unfortunate differences in the face of war, wish to ensure that along with the aid of the Cardassian Monarchy we will no longer permit each other to settle differences which can be settled in the forum of peaceful discussion by the forum of irreperable war. We can no longer afford to allow each other to weakened by differences which are artificial, we can no longer afford to fail our citizens," Crown Prince Alexander Rosbourg emotionally explained to the assembled ministers and guests.   
  
"That is why the Segan Monarchy and the Segan Popular Union invited all of you here today. His Majesty the Crown Prince Alexander Rosbourg and I have been discussing between each other, as well as through subspace communications with Her Majesty the Crown Princess Catherine Defont to submit a proposal that would first be discussed by you and then be enlarged to include the entire Selevenar Galaxy. We hope that you understand the magnitude of this proposal, we are asking for a complete change in the system, it is already approved by the Crown but because of the magnitute we want to make sure a majority of you can come and support this proposal. The more of us that support this proposal, the higher its chances of success," Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg added, on cue as he stood to the right of Alexander.   
  
"The Cardassian Monarchy too believes that this proposal is the chance for our future to be one filled with prosperity and filled with a capability to catch up with the headway that's been made by the Milky Way Galaxy. Already economic analysts are suggesting that a 4% economic growth in the Milky Way Galaxy will be met with a slugging 1% economic growth in the Selevenar Galaxy. Economic ministers can affirm to you all that this will only get worse unless we radically change the economic systems that exist in the Selevenar Galaxy and its sattelite nations in the Milky Way Galaxy. This is why we are highly recommend that you support the proposal that we are handing to you now. Our military ministers will be in full accord that a war like the Civil War we just fought will only further weaken us in comparison to the Milky Way Galaxy, and it is clear that the 30-some major powers in the Selevenar Galaxy and the 100-some minor powers will only weaken and stratify us even more," Catherine Defont smiled as she stood next to the three Crown Princes, the eldest of the sovereigns.   
  
"This is why we are suggesting to take a quick step and sign a quick peace-treaty that affirms the Segan Monarchy, the Segan Popular Union, and the Cardassian Monarchy all their former territorial boundaries, as well as their sovereignty. The Crown wishes to discuss this proposal as the primary architect of our future. We hereby propose to our legislative and judicial branches that we hereby propose we enter an alliance with all of the Selevenar Alliance of Powers' former members so that we can further strengthen our collective capability to compete peacefully with the Milky Way Galaxy," Alexander proposed, hearing some nods of interest and approval from some of the liberal ministers.   
  
"This, however, would not be an Alliance like the loose one that was the Selevenar Alliance of Powers," Youri paused a moment as he grabbed everyone's attention, "The Crowns believe that an Alliance like the last one would only encouraged stratification and competition from within, what we were thinking was to create a new nation. Yes, a new nation that would be more powerful than any we've ever seen in the Selevenar Galaxy. It would have the capability within a blink of an eye to reshape the balance of power in the Selevenar Galaxy, to add a major competing force to counter the incredible economic recovery of the United Federation of Planets, to bring a force that could without a doubt be a bringer of peace, a savior of hope, and a new chance for all of us, as Segans to take our place in the domain of interstellar politics."   
  
"If we today approve of this proposal, we would then dispatch an invitation to all the powers who'd wish to discuss this in an open summit where they would be explained the plan to create a single nation that would lead us all. We would quelm their fears, allow them to express their concerns as we work together to make this nation reflective of us as members of a Selevenarian community. Each nation would then have to ratify the treaty through popular referendum, so that this nation not only reflect the leaders' wishes and hopes, but also those of their people. Those who ratify would then become provinces of this nation, represented equally in a republic that would be representive of our populations," Catherine's point was met with some approving nods, while others disaproved.   
  
"We understand that some of you may feel relunctant to even discuss this, it seems like an idealist's dream. We disagree however, and we will spend the next few days explaining to you all why we disagree. We believe that we are at a crossroads between our nations, a crossroad which we believe can be shared with our neighbors in the Selevenar Galaxy. This Alliance's potential could mean the Selevenar Galaxy entering into a new age, we are in the 26th Century now, and we must change to meet the changes in the Milky Way Galaxy head on. We can do it peacefully, knowing that if we do not do it peaceful, civil war like the one we've seen in the year 2500 will surely come again. This Alliance can ensure the safety of us all, the security of our culturally rich background, that our dreams for the future become reality," Alexander smiled as he heard mre approving nods than ever before.   
  
"This is why we invited you here today, to discuss how we can shape our future, understanding that we must save it for future genrations to come. We again welcome you, and we together hereby open this summit to discuss a final peace treaty between the Segan monarchies, as well as to discuss a proposal to merge our nations under a new banner," Alexander, Youri, and Catherine together snapped the red ribbon that stood as a symbolic opening of the summit. There was work to do, but the response was already warm, the future was so close to be assured now, they would not fail.   
  
  
  


  


  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	32. Epilogue

_The Dancer Prince   
_Epilogue   
  


_Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.  
  
_

  


Eight months ago James Salsbury had been a Private in the armed forces of the Youri Rosbourg camp, now he was a Lieutenant First Class. He had been shaped by the defeat of the Segan Monarchy, realizing nothing was ever permanent. Many of his friends had fought the bitter conflict and had never survived to return to their home. For many months he had never thought the chance of hope would come. He had never thought that his hope would come from the destruction of that which he had thought he was saving. The Segan Monarchy no longer existed as its own independent government, it was now a province of a greater nation. Thanks to the leaders of the Segan monarchies, he could now put the memories of his lost friends to rest.   
  
Lieutenant First Class James Salsbury remembered the evacuations that had taken place following some of the battles of the Segan Civil War. He remembered watching his company grow smaller and smaller in numbers as the army was pushed out of each planet until it was Chinon herself that was invaded and captured without a fight. He remembered the base atop the strategic mountain. He looked at his cigarette, smoking its last whiff as he threw the cigarette in a dispenser bag, the computer replying "thank you." He was now assembled with hundreds of thousands of civilians gathered to look at the ceremony that further confirmed that this new nation would exist and would exist for years to come. Under the observation of the leaders responsible for the signing of the Treaty of Arnouville, the oath was being dispensed.   
  
"Please state after me," The chairman of the Council of Hokia stated as he looked into the new elected leader's face, "I, your full name, citizen of The Alliance, supporting the Treaty of Arnouville, and the laws of The Alliance, will exercise the powers of my office to ensure a free and just Land exists within The Alliance of Incorporated Worlds. I will exercise my powers free of corruption, free of greed, and filled with the spirit that is commanded by my office and the Treaty of Arnouville to ensure the safety of Alliance citizens everywhere."   
  
"I, Timothy Wolf, citizen of The Alliance, supporting the Treaty of Arnouville, and the laws of The Alliance, supporting the Treaty of Arnouville, and the laws of The Alliance, will exercise the powers of my office of Alliance Arch-Prime Minister to ensure a free and just Land exists with The Alliance of Incorporated Worlds. I will exercise my powers free of corruption, free of greed, and filled with the spirit that is commanded by my office and the Treaty of Arnouville to ensure the safety of Alliance citizens everywhere," Timothy Wolf replied as he became the first leader of the new nation.   
  
As all around the podium people cheered, James Salsbury looked at the podium staring as as Timothy Wolf embraced his significant other and gave her a kiss. Hate that had previously been there was replaced by love, he noticed it in the eyes of Alexander and Youri as they looked at one another. He was happy and content that he could now try and return to a normal life, one that had no military drafts. He wished it upon no one else that this civil war be repeated in their generation. They had destroyed their past, ripped it up into little pieces in order to allow for a stronger, better future to cherish them. History, he hoped would be kind in judging their actions during the war. They were only poor souls, each following what they thought was right. Now, they were steering in the right direction for what they hoped would be centuries to come.   
  


- - - - -   
  


"Good reading Jonathan, very good reading indeed," The teacher, son of Manny Sideki, at Starfleet Academy replied, "Before we proceed any comments?"   
  
"I liked this book a lot more than The Chilam," Natasha Debraux looked at the teacher, "Is it true that your father was the Captain of the flagship at this time?"   
  
"Yes," The teacher laughed ,"Remember this piece of history occured only about a hundred years ago. It comes to show why relations between what becomes The Alliance and the United Federation of Planets are still said to develop."   
  
"What I don't understand, however," Cadet Lebrun asked as he looked at the teacher, "Why did Catherine wait so long to tell Maitre Wolf she loved him?"   
  
"Aaaah," The teacher looked around, "Can anyone tell me why?"   
  
"It's clear, it's because of Segan culture. Maitre Wolf might be a national hero even back then, but Segan culture just doesn't appreciate loving between the classes," Debraux answered.   
  
"Partially correct, Natasha," The teacher wrote down on the board, "2499 - Styx War, 2500 - Civil War, 2501 - Alliance, these three years should be important years to consider when discussing Segan culture and how it changes. By 2501, changes that had been occuring for years and years finally came to a pitch and I think the novel captures that with Catherine."   
  
The teacher sighed as the bell rang and he turned around, "All right, class for next week we're beginning Romulan literature, don't forget the freshmen ball. I hope to see you all there. Dismissed."  
  


_The curtains fell, as the Segan Monarchies took their exit cue. It was a soft bow and a quiet audience that nodded the players away. They had played their roles for millenium after millenium, until all the sudden time bidded it away. And newer still, an Alliance formed, stronger than ever before... In order to save the future, it destroyed its past. Destruction, chaos, recreation, eternal peace all dancing in a primordial abyss, all forever dancing as the dancer prince always will. _   


  
  


  


  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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